Manifesto Called for Housing Benefit Reform

Irish Parliamentarian Calls for Queen to Reign – BBC
Clegg: I’m So Hated People Put Dog Mess in Letterbox – Mail
Labour Council Calls for Maggie to “Burn in Hell” - Telegraph
20 Questions to Guido Fawkes – Mars Hill
Gus Oozes Waffle – Quentin Letts
Newham Council’s £18 Million Makeover – BBC London
Vince Ducks Lobby Lunch – ePolitix
Councils Not Block Booking B&Bs – FullFact.org

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2010

Manifesto Called for Housing Benefit Reform

CCHQ’s opposition research operation really should have spotted this and used it to rebut Labour’s demented attack on the Housing Benefit “final solution” (© Polly). LibDem blogger Peter Black highlights this manifesto commitment

‘Housing Benefit will be reformed so we do not subsidise people to live in private sector accommodation on rents working families couldn’t afford’

Eminently reasonable in policy terms, £20,000 a year in rent is of course way beyond what the majority of us can afford. The quote is taken from the Labour Party manifesto, written by one Ed Miliband…

James Purnell when he was at the DWP said he wanted to ensure “people on benefits do not end up getting subsidies for rents that those who work could never afford”. Last week Ed piouslycalled on LibDems to block the implementation of a policy he advocated in the Labour Party manifesto, claiming, “That is not what they came into politics for. I hope they will vote with their consciences.”

The barefaced hypocrisy is breathtaking.