WIRRAL drivers could be exempt from tunnel tolls under a review promised by Chancellor George Osborne.

The pledge came after pressure from Esther McVey, who branded the tolls as an "unfair tax on Wirral."

Labour said the move is an "election stunt" that will backfire on the Conservatives.

Mr Osborne announced he is to conduct a full study of the impact of the tolls on Wirral’s economy.

The Chancellor caused unrest in Merseyside in his Budget speech which revealed cuts in the Severn Bridge tolls were to be introduced.

John McGoldrick, secretary of Mersey Tunnel Users' Association, told the Globe at the time "It seems to us concessions are being handed out to other parts of the country that we are just not getting here."

"Why on Merseyside are we faced with the situation of ever-increasing tolls?""

Welcoming the review, Ms McVey said: said: “After more than a decade of campaigning against this unfair tax on the people of Wirral I am delighted I have got the Chancellor to review this deeply unfair situation.

"The tolls have, for too long, been a tax on Wirral drivers to fund spending in Southport, Sefton and St Helens.

"With the new crossing at Halton, the time is now right to look again at the Mersey Tunnels.

“Ever since the outrageous Tunnels Act of 2004, backed by Labour MPs across Merseyside, the surpluses have stacked up at the expense of Wirral’s economy.”

The review will examine the idea of introducing a full exemption or the option of an allowance of a certain number of free journeys each year for Wirral residents.

It will be conducted jointly by the Treasury and Department for Transport.

The Labour leader of Wirral Council, Cllr Phil Davies,  said: "This latest desperate stunt has backfired spectacularly for Esther McVey and the Conservatives on Wirral.

"This is a failed attempt to find a headline for a failed election campaign from a failed Government.

"Clearly they know or care little about the issue of tunnel tolls or Esther McVey and George Osborne would have be aware that in February this year the Labour-led local authorities on Merseyside had already started a review to get a fair deal for tunnel-users.

"This is a damning indictment of Esther's view of the Wirral as nothing more than a sleepy dormitory for Liverpool.

"What does this say about her ambition for Wirral? Does she see residents and business as simply one-way traffic out of Wirral?

"This is a another shameless attempt to shore up Esther McVey's failing campaign."

The tolls are usually increased annually, but this year they were frozen at £1.70 each way.