Tax credit cuts: George Osborne's changes are 'anti-family' and 'anti-British', says Gordon Brown
Former Prime Minister warns proposed cuts would create a 'new poverty generation' of couples in their twenties
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.George Osborne’s cuts to tax credits would increase child poverty to its highest level for 50 years, Gordon Brown has claimed, decrying the plan as “anti-work”, “anti-family” and “anti-British”.
The former Prime Minister, who introduced tax credits as Chancellor, said the proposed changes would create a “new poverty generation” of couples in their twenties who face stagnant wages, high rents and a life of poverty when they have children.
He said they amounted to “government-induced poverty”. But in a swipe at Labour’s new leader, Jeremy Corbyn, Mr Brown suggested that Labour was not doing enough to provide a credible alternative to the Tories’ wider austerity agenda.
“While you cannot deliver policies without principles, you cannot deliver principles without having power,” he said. “Making the desirable possible requires us to make the desirable popular, credible and something that people want to hold on to.”
Mr Brown’s broadside, speaking to the Child Poverty Action Group, came as a Conservative MP announced he was boycotting a visit to his constituency by a Treasury minister in protest at the planned changes.
Stephen McPartland said he would not be meeting David Gauke in Stevenage because he would not talk about “unacceptable” curbs. “I am boycotting the meeting as he does not want to talk about the cuts to child tax credits I have uncovered,” he said.
Mr McPartland said House of Commons Library figures showed that under the changes, families who lost all their working tax credits would then start losing child tax credits. “This is completely unacceptable and destroys the Government’s final defence that planned cuts do not apply to child tax credits,” he said.
“It is very clear that the Treasury has to come forward with measures to mitigate the effects of their changes to tax credits and protect families’ child tax credits.”
Mr McPartland’s very public move will further concern the Treasury, which is facing substantial pressure from Tory MPs to substantially water down the plans at the Autumn Statement.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments