Thursday, January 28, 2016
Labour no-show on vote to protect universal credit
One would think that protecting the weak and the vulnerable would be a major priority for Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party, however that does not appear to be the case when it really matters, in winnable votes in the House of Lords.
As Liberal Democrat Voice report, there was a real chance that a Liberal Democrat motion to get rid of the cuts to Universal Credit from April 2017 could be voted through if all the opposition turned up. These are exactly the same cuts that were going to happen to tax credits:
Speaking after the defeat of the Lib Dem motion (by 91 votes to 202, which is a pretty spectacular turnout for our peers, Lords Chief Whip Dick Newby said:
Tonight Lib Dems voted to stop the Tories cutting vital support to millions of low income working families. Labour sat on their hands and did nothing. They could have helped stop these cuts to Universal Credit but chose not to.
Their failure to provide proper opposition means the Tory Government is getting away with cutting vital services, rigging our democracy, and risking our nation’s future. They are not deserving of the title of Her Majesty’s Official Opposition when they don’t oppose measures like this.
The Lib Dems will continue to oppose the ruthless cuts by the Tories, as we did in Coalition. We hope that at some point Labour may also step up to the plate.
It is a shame Labour do not practise what they preach.
As Liberal Democrat Voice report, there was a real chance that a Liberal Democrat motion to get rid of the cuts to Universal Credit from April 2017 could be voted through if all the opposition turned up. These are exactly the same cuts that were going to happen to tax credits:
Speaking after the defeat of the Lib Dem motion (by 91 votes to 202, which is a pretty spectacular turnout for our peers, Lords Chief Whip Dick Newby said:
Tonight Lib Dems voted to stop the Tories cutting vital support to millions of low income working families. Labour sat on their hands and did nothing. They could have helped stop these cuts to Universal Credit but chose not to.
Their failure to provide proper opposition means the Tory Government is getting away with cutting vital services, rigging our democracy, and risking our nation’s future. They are not deserving of the title of Her Majesty’s Official Opposition when they don’t oppose measures like this.
The Lib Dems will continue to oppose the ruthless cuts by the Tories, as we did in Coalition. We hope that at some point Labour may also step up to the plate.
It is a shame Labour do not practise what they preach.
