Labour

Tory MPs belatedly voicing concern over Cameron's botched child benefit plans - Jamieson

Cathy Jamieson MP, Labour’s Shadow Treasury Minister, in response to calls by Conservative MPs for the Government to rethink its child benefit changes, said:

“Labour has repeatedly warned about the unfairness and problems with David Cameron’s child benefit plans and it’s good to see some Conservative MPs belatedly voicing their concerns too.

“These ill thought out plans mean a two-earner family each earning £40,000 – a total of £80,000 – would keep all their child benefit, but a single-earner family on £43,000 would lose it all from next year.

“Tough choices on tax, spending and pay do need to be made to get the deficit down. But this out of touch Government has chosen to hit families with children in the squeezed middle much harder than the banks.

“As well as this botched child benefit policy, the Government is pushing through huge cuts to tax credits in just a few weeks time which will make it harder for parents working part-time to stay in work. That’s why we need an urgent rethink, not just on child benefit but on the Conservative-led Government’s wider plans to hit families with children hardest of all.”