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Cameron responds to Question Time tax credits complaint Cameron responds to Question Time tax credits complaint
(about 1 hour later)
The prime minister’s spokesman has been forced to respond to a woman who appeared on Question Time in tears over the government’s decision to cut tax credits by £4.5bn. The government has been forced to defend its plans to cut tax credits after a former Tory voter broke down in tears on the BBC’s Question Time and accused the party of betraying her and thousands of others.
Addressing the energy and climate change secretary, Amber Rudd, who was a panelist on the programme, audience member Michelle Williams said: “I voted for Conservatives originally because I thought you were going to be the better chance for me and my children. You’re about to cut tax credits after promising you wouldn’t. Michelle Dorrell, a mother-of-four who berated a government minister on the panel of the current affairs programme, later revealed that she was now an admirer of the Labour party under Jeremy Corbyn.
“I work bloody hard for my money to provide for my children to give them everything they’ve got and you’re going to take it away from me and them. I can hardly afford the rent I have to pay, I can hardly afford the bills I’ve got, and you’re going to take more from me,” she said, adding: “Shame on you.” The incident has highlighted the problem the government faces in its plans to inform thousands of families they will lose their tax credits by Christmas, including many who will have been core Tory voters.
The prime minister’s spokesman said: “The point the prime minister and government is trying to get across is that it’s important you see that the changes we are making in tax credits are part of an overall package of changes, designed to ensure we push wages up.” Dorrell, 35, who runs a nail bar from her home in Folkestone, said on the morning after her appearance in the Question Time audience that the Conservative party had lost her vote, but she was full of praise for the new Labour leader.
“He will divide opinions up and down the country,” she said. “But he is bringing back the democratic process where everyone has different opinions. He is listening to the people.”
She said she and her four children were entirely dependent on a combination of working tax credits and child benefits because her business did not make a profit.
“I am a very political-minded member of the public and I feel let down. In my lifetime I do not feel my government has worked to help me,” she told the Telegraph.
“I don’t seem to be able to climb the ladder out of poverty. I run a household of five people living on less than £400 a week. My day-to-day living costs are covered by my tax credits, my child benefit and maintenance.
“I did vote Tory because I felt they would have been the best for me and my children. I feel I was lied to and they have let me down. It’s not just me, there are so many thousands of other like me.”
Related: Government accused of covering up negative impact of tax credit cutsRelated: Government accused of covering up negative impact of tax credit cuts
He added: “It’s worth remembering with tax credits ... they have increased over the years and so the spend on tax credits has gone up and up and up. If we’re going to tackle the overall welfare budget and try to move us away from being a high welfare country to a low welfare country, then this is something we have to look at.” Defending the government’s decision to cut tax credits by £4.5bn, David Cameron’s spokesman said: “The point the prime minister and government is trying to get across is that it’s important you see that the changes we are making in tax credits are part of an overall package of changes, designed to ensure we push wages up.”
Asked on Friday whether the prime minister would be making an appointment to meet the woman and explain his reasoning, Cameron’s spokesman said: “The prime minister meets with people from all different walks of life all the time.” He added: “It’s worth remembering with tax credits ... they have increased over the years and so the spend on tax credits has gone up and up and up . If we’re going to tackle the overall welfare budget and try to move us away from being a high welfare country to a low welfare country, then this is something we have to look at.”
The House of Commons has approved the cuts to tax credits, with only a handful of Conservatives rebelling against the measures. However, there is unease on the government benches about the number of low earners who will lose out and the fact they will be told about the scale of the cuts to their benefits just before Christmas. Asked whether Cameron would be making an appointment to meet Dorrell and explain his reasoning, the spokesman said: “The prime minister meets with people from all different walks of life all the time.”
Dorrell was addressing the energy and climate change secretary, Amber Rudd, on Question Time when she said: “I voted for Conservatives originally because I thought you were going to be the better chance for me and my children. You’re about to cut tax credits after promising you wouldn’t.
“I work bloody hard for my money to provide for my children to give them everything they’ve got and you’re going to take it away from me and them. I can hardly afford the rent I have to pay, I can hardly afford the bills I’ve got, and you’re going to take more from me. Shame on you.”
The House of Commons has approved the cuts to tax credits, with only a handful of Conservatives rebelling against the measures. However, there is unease on the government benches about the number of low-income earners who will lose out and the fact they will be told about the scale of the cuts to their benefits just before Christmas.
Cameron has insisted that a typical family with parents working full-time on the minimum wage will be £2,000 better off as a result of a host of changes once the increase in the minimum wage is taken into account.Cameron has insisted that a typical family with parents working full-time on the minimum wage will be £2,000 better off as a result of a host of changes once the increase in the minimum wage is taken into account.
But the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the Resolution Foundation say the welfare cuts in Osborne’s summer budget will leave some of Britain’s poorest families up to £1,300 a year out of pocket. Paul Johnson, the director of the IFS, has said it is “arithmetically impossible” for workers not to lose out from the cuts. But the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the Resolution Foundation say the welfare cuts in George Osborne’s summer budget will leave some of Britain’s poorest families up to £1,300 a year out of pocket. Paul Johnson, the director of the IFS, has said it is “arithmetically impossible” for workers not to lose out from the cuts.
A number of Conservative backbenchers voiced concern earlier this year about the scale of the proposed cuts to tax credits, raising the possibility of a wider backbench rebellion.
Guto Bebb, MP for Aberconwy, and Andrew Percy, MP for Brigg and Goole, suggested there needed to be more protection for the poorest, who face losing government support despite working hard in low-paid jobs.
Both MPs voted for the government’s welfare reform and work bill at its second reading in July, but their decision to speak out about the potential impact of the cuts was seen as a warning signal to Cameron and Osborne not to take the support of Tory backbenchers for granted.