"I think people sitting at home know that the Government doesn't have a bottomless pit of money," he said.
"Obviously we look at all these things, I think there are dos and don’ts for the Government. What the Government mustn’t do is try and borrow its way out of debt. You can’t borrow your way out of the situation we’re in, it would be very dangerous for Britain.”
He suggested that the Coalition would focus on making sure householders and businesses have access to cheap loans.
"What we can do is use the fact that we have credibility, we have some of the lowest interest rates we’ve had in Britain for hundreds of years, use that credibility to make sure those interest rates are also available to the homeowner, to the small businessman wanting a loan,” he said.
Danny Alexander, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, has already signaled that the Government is unlikely to be able to afford to scrap the increase.
“Given the huge issues we have with public finances, we also need to make sure that we’ve got the money coming through the tax system, and the increase in fuel duty is part of that,” he said earlier this week.
Motorists groups have urged the Government not to take advantage of the recent falling petrol prices to argue that the 3p tax rise should go ahead.
Brian Madderson, chairman of the Petrol Retailers Association, said it would be “opportunistic” of the Treasury to hope that people would not notice the extra tax.
“David Cameron knows it is right to scrap this increase while the country struggles with a second recession,” he said. “The decision to do so would not be a U-turn, but common sense prevailing as the economic outlook deteriorates.
“Road fuel is no longer a luxury but an essential part of everyday life. The planned duty increase will penalise lower income earners, pensioners and the unemployed and will push inflation up."
The average price of petrol has fallen by 9.83p a litre since its peaks in April to around 132.65p this week.
The price of oil on the international markets has fallen by around a quarter since March, helping to bring down inflation.
However, Paul Watters, head of public affairs at the AA, warned that the planned duty rise will only "increase the inflation rate and put more pressure on hard-pressed families and business in the UK once again”
Sopranos star 'was friend of real-life mobster who tried to extort money from Joe Pesci's cousin' - Daily Mail
By Lyle Brennan and James Nye
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A star of hit TV series The Sopranos made a dramatic appearance in the trial of a real-life mob boss today - as a court saw a gangster accused of trying to recover a loan for the actor.
Federico Castelucci, who played a feared hitman in the hit HBO series, allegedly lent $50,000 to a restauranteur - Joe Pesci's cousin - and struggled to get the money back.
A recording played in a New York courtroom today appears to shows Mafia boss Andrew 'Mush' Russo ordering one of his lieutenants to 'recover' the money.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Liz Geddes for the prosecution says Russo can be heard talking about how his friend, Castelluccio had invested thousands in Gino Pesci's New Jersey Italian bistro, and orders one of his 'captains' to demand the money back from Mr Pesci.
Courtroom drama: Federico Castelluccio, left, played Furio Giunta on The Sopranos and allegedly loaned $50,000 to Gino Pesci to open a restaurant in New Brunswick. Mob boss Andrew 'Mush' Russo is accused of ordering one of his associates to demands the money back
The New York Post reports Russo says: 'Joe Pesci’s cousin. He [cheated] some kid... took $70,000. When they went, when they went to grab him, [he said] "I blew it, I don’t have it'.
'This kid, you know the kid, Federico Castelluccio?... The kid who played Furio on the Sopranos.'
The mafioso does not appear to give his man specific instructions on how he should get the money back, but federal agents believe it would be through means of extortion.
'I'll get you all the information,' Russo is heard to promise.
However, court papers show Russo's lawyer, George Galgano insisted the conversation was merely an innocent discussion between film fans.
He contends that his client had been talking about the role played by Joe Pesci - his alleged target's famous cousin - in the hit children's Christmas movie Home Alone, starring Macaulay Culkin and directed by John Hughes.
Arguing in court papers that Russo never intended to extort any money from Gino Pesci, Mr Galgano wrote, 'This never happened'.
Sticking to their claim the Russo was only discussing Joe Pesci's role in 'Home Alone', Mr Galgano wrote that Russo also mentioned a script that Gino Pesci is supposed to have borrowed money for.
Edie Falco (left) and Federico Castelluccio (right) appearing as Carmel Soprano and Furio Giunta respectively on the hit HBO show
Countering the prosecutions version of events, Mr Gargano seems to suggest in the court documents that Russo had been misinformed, and that there was no script, no dispute and no money owed to Mr Castelluccio.
Regardless of Russo's claims it was enough for Judge Kiyo Matsumoto to reject a bail request by Russo, who is due to go on trial for racketeering, saying: 'The evidence in this case is strong.'
The origin of the case against Colombo street boss Russo stems from Castelluccio investing $50,000 in 2002 in Gino Pesci's Attilio Pasta Kitchen, based in New Brunswick.
Folding two years later, Gino Pesci acknowledged that his relationship with Castelluccio fell apart.
Andrew 'Mush' Russo's defence claimed that he was talking about Joe Pesci (pictured right) and his appearance in the hit 1990 film 'Home Alone' which Joe Pesci starred in
'Federico is an incredible artist, but he’s not a businessman. Maybe that’s why he took it harder than the rest,' said Pesci to the New York Post.
However, a bone of contention opened up between the two when Pesci went on a spending spree after the closure, while Castelluccio felt that his investment should have been returned claims the New York Post.
It is known that Castelluccio and Russo are friends and in 2011 the actor showed up at Russo's bail hearing in Brooklyn.
Ray Liotta (left), Robert de Niro (second left), Paul Sorvino and Joe Pesci (right) starred in the 1990 film 'Goodfellas' about organised crime in the 1960's and 1970's
At the time of a an October 2011 article in the New York Post investigating his friendship with Russo, Castelluccio issued a statement.
'Gino Pesci has never owed me any money, and therefore, it is hard to imagine why anyone would even think about asking him for anything on my behalf.
'It never happened. And anyone who claims that it did happen is simply not telling the truth.'
Both the Sopranos star and Gino Pesci deny any knowledge of an extortion plot.
As well as the charge relating to Mr Pesci, Russo is accused of extorting medical expenses from the rival Gambino crime family, after one of their number allegedly stabbed a Colombo family mobster.
Greek coalition to plead for leniency on bail-out - Daily Telegraph
Top of the requests Mr Zanias is likely to be a two-year extension for a deadline to find €11.5 billion in public spending cuts by the end of 2014.
Aides to Mr Samaras have said that reductions in sales and corporate taxes and increases to the lowest pensions were also among his priorities, in a bid to alleviate the social hardships deepened by the austerity measures attached to two bailouts totalling €240 billion.
The Eurogroup talks "will be the first big battle on the revision of the bailout agreement", said Evangelos Venizelos, the Pasok leader and former finance minister. With Greece in danger of running out of money in a month, he stressed that the coalition sought "the creation of a framework that will allow us to move to positive growth and to combat unemployment".
Eurogroup chief Jean-Claude Juncker said on Tuesday taht there was scope to discuss "extensions" to Greek austerity measures but not "changing the substance of the agreements". Volker Kauder, the parliamentary leader of Angela Merkel's Christian Democrat MPs, warned Greece that the German parliament, which has a veto over bailouts, was not ready to make any major concessions.
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