Darling’s slip of the tongue gets heads wagging

Does Alistair Darling know something we don't – or was it just a slip of the tongue? Appearing on the BBC Radio Today programme this morning to defend yesterday's "class war" Budget, the Chancellor answered a typically convoluted question from Evan Davis with this: "Well I hope if I'm around in 2010 – I mean, er 2013 – we'll see..."

Which has conspiracy theorists scratching their heads because it certainly doesn't sound like a Chancellor who's confident of being in office for next April's Budget! And it supports a theory that's been doing the rounds – that Gordon Brown might still call an election this October rather than waiting until May.

One Westminster spinmeister put it like this to The Mole: "It sounds mad, but think about it: the big danger for Brown in this Budget is that it promises jam next year; in other words,  the economy will have to be recovering if he is to win a general election in May 2010. However, if he chose to go to the country this autumn, it would mean he could still be promising that the recovery is just around the corner."

Mad or not, The Mole thought he should pass it on.

Incidentally, the question from Davis to which Darling gave his answer was along the lines of: Will you come back on the Today programme in 2013 and admit that future tax rises, implemented by the Tories because of the fiscal gap left by yourself [Darling] and Brown, were in effect, all Labour tax rises, rather than Tory ones. Hands up anyone who still thinks Davis is the right man for the job! ·