Cheeky Chancellor. Answer the Questions.

Robert Peston, the BBC's business editor, was supposed to be interviewing the Chancellor this morning about the lessons of the credit crunch.

"It was something I'd arranged with the Treasury over the past fortnight, to mark the anniversary of when it became much harder for our banks to raise money and a serious downturn in our economy began." The interview was cancelled when the interviewer could not agree to asking no question on the delay, or cancellation of stamp duty.

The financial impasse is impacting on everybody with devastating force - from threatening current housing arrangements, preventing future housing arrangements, causing unemployment, creating gross inflationary pressures.....

Robert Peston writes the finest analysis of economic and financial current affairs available and, as the Business Editor of the BBC, which we all pay for in its status as the public service broadcaster, has every claim, further, to interview the Chancellor on our behalf. The Chancellor can turn the question, give what are for him good reasons not to answer the question, but there is no excuse (though ample explanation) for failing to meet his obligations to our public service interviewer.

New Labour may regard this as news management in their arrogant ineptitude; but they will pay. They are paying now.