The campaign has not even got under way, yet in the space of a couple of hours we have now been treated to not only one election pledge, but to two. The prime minister ruled out raising VAT if re-elected - while Labour said National Insurance contributions wouldn't go up. Usually politicians fudge the question of tax rises. When he was leader of the opposition David Cameron himself said "we have no need to raise taxes" - before hiking up VAT after polling day. Famously, John Major said he had "no plans" to put up the sales tax - before his chancellor did just that. And when he appeared in front of the cross-party Treasury committee of MPs on Tuesday, the current chancellor seemed to be continuing that tradition.

Under repeated questioning, George Osborne said: "The policies we have do not involve a VAT rise."
That formulation appeared to give him not so much wriggle room, but an entire wriggle mansion.
Labour assumed their campaign warning of further VAT rises to come under the Tories was very much on the money.

Wrong-footed?

But George Osborne's allies are suggesting privately that he had, in fact, been walking Ed Miliband to the edge of an elephant trap, then beckoning the prime minister to push the opposition leader in.....Read more here