Michael Howard's first party political broadcast last night was dominated by an attack on Labour's levels of tax.

The broadcast, which was designed by Lord Saatchi, the Tory chairman and advertising guru, promised a Bank Holiday on "Tax Freedom Day".

Writing in The Times, Peter Riddell says this idea represents Howard's "first big mistake as Conservative leader", describing it as "a populist gimmick that undermines the Tories' credibility as a serious alternative government".