Reviewing politics
and culture since 1913

  1. Politics
24 March 2010

The cider rebellion

Darling outrages cider drinkers with 10 per cent rise in duty.

By George Eaton

The cider drinkers are rebelling. Within minutes of Alistair Darling announcing in the Budget that cider duty will rise by 10 per cent from midnight on Sunday, a Facebook group was set up attacking the measure.

The group, Leave Our Cider Alone!, already has 80 members, despite Darling’s insistence that the change was designed to address a “long-standing anomaly”.

But others take a more pragmatic view. On Twitter, the radio presenter Richard Bacon tweeted: “Help bring down the deficit. Drink lots of cider.”

Subscribe to the New Statesman and save 40% for 1 year!

Given that the deficit is still forecast to be £167bn, we’d better get drinking.

Follow the New Statesman team on Twitter.

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how Progressive Media Investments may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU

Content from our partners
From innovation to impact
Making our food go further
A more joined-up approach to prevention

Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Most Voted
Newest Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments