Miliband comes out against child benefit cut
By politics.co.uk staff
Days of uncertainty over Labour’s response to the cut to child benefit for higher earners were put to one side today when Ed Miliband came out against the move.
Speculation at the Tory party conference in Birmingham had suggested he would back the government in a bid to prove he accepted the thrust of the deficit reduction argument.
But speaking to ITV today, the Labour leader said the move had been a “shambles”.
He added: “All families need support. I am against the changes that the government is making to child benefit.
“The way they have gone about them has caused huge anxiety, particularly for mums who are staying at home while maybe their husbands are going out to work.
“I will look at the changes the government propose on welfare. We do need to get more people into work and I will look sympathetically at some of the changes that they are making.
“But when it comes to child benefit which has gone to all families for 60 years in this country – it was a legacy of the Second World War – I think it is really important to support families in this country and I think child benefit is a good way of doing it.”
Michael Fallon, the new deputy chairman of the Conservatives, said the comments made mr Miliband look out of touch.
“Ed Miliband has to tell us why it is fair to tax people on low incomes to pay for the Child Benefit of those earning much more, and why workless households should receive benefits worth thousands of pounds more than the average family earns,” he said.
“r Miliband needs to publish the plan he promised to deal with the deficit rather than just opposing the tough but fair measures we’re taking to clear up Labour’s mess.
“He wants to tax the poor to give benefits to the better off. It shows he is completely out of touch.”
Mr Miliband criticised Jeremy Hunt, who said the cap on benefits meant the state was no longer prepared to support those who chose to have large families, but could not afford them, saying the culture secretary was “lecturing”.
Asked about whether the Conservative had underestimated him, he said it was “fine by me”.
He added: “I have been underestimated all along. I was 33/1 outsider when I first declared my candidacy and I won the election.”
