Rabbitte rules out tax-cutting ‘auction’

LABOUR leader Pat Rabbitte yesterday dismissed his party’s poll slump and insisted he would not engage in a tax-cutting “auction” with the Government.

Speaking at the close of a two-day gathering of the party’s TDs and Senators in Cork, Mr Rabbitte said he was not disturbed by an Irish Examiner/Lansdowne survey showing Labour dropping two points to 10%, insisting he would wait to see if it was the beginning of a trend.

The snapshot of voting intentions cast a shadow over the meeting as it showed the Coalition on course to retain power with Labour even less popular than they were at the 2002 election.