Clark: "Petrol prices may kill the economy and the Coalition"

The Daily Express columnist Ross Clark writes of petrol and UK national politics:

Nick Clegg earlier this week made a pitch for the hearts of “alarm clock Britain”: those who “come rain or shine are busy making Britain tick”. He was right to identify working people as being in need of support, having been taken for granted during the Labour years.

But what is the point in supporting people when they are emerging bleary-eyed from under their duvets if you are then going to kick them in the teeth when they go outside and get into the car?

Fuel prices yesterday were nudging their record highs of July 2008. Unleaded petrol was averaging £1.28 a litre and diesel £1.32 a litre. And what is the Government doing to help those who rely on their cars to get to work every day? It plans to raise duty by a penny over inflation in April this year and every year until 2014.