David Strahan: You’re wrong, PM. We need higher oil prices

Once again Gordon Brown has got energy policy all wrong. Even before Opec announced an output cut of 1.5 million barrels per day, the Prime Minister had denounced the move as “absolutely scandalous”, fearing it would force the oil price higher just as the world slides into recession.

He needn’t have worried, since the cost of crude continued to fall on Friday to just under $63. But what Mr Brown fails to grasp is that the recent collapse is as damaging in its way as the previous spike, and that had Opec managed to boost the oil price it would have done us all a favour.


A falling oil price has real short-term benefits. Petrol has dropped below