Lib Dem Lords turn on Tories over welfare reforms that they supported in Coalition
How laudable of the Liberal Democrat Lords to try to stop the Conservative Government from depriving 160,000 people of disability benefit money that they deserve!
But I have a question:
If the Tory policy is so bad, then why did the Liberal Democrats back it to the hilt when they were in Coalition with the Conservatives between 2010 and 2015?
The Lib Dems were quite happy to vote through changes which have resulted in many thousands of deaths – as This Writer had to force the government to admit, because there was no way the DWP would have released the information voluntarily.
I understand that the Tories are currently refusing to honour requests for updated mortality statistics.
So it seems entirely hypocritical for the Liberal Democrats to be claiming that the Conservatives are acting in “total contempt” of disabled people when they are entirely guilty of exactly the same behaviour.
The other important point is that it is odd not to have seen a motion against this Tory plan from the Labour Party.
Perhaps Labour intends to fight it in the Commons but a Lords motion would have been welcome, considering the action of the Lib Dems.
Maybe Lord Mandelson (for example) would be better-off devoting his time to protecting the vulnerable, rather than attacking his own party leader?
The Liberal Democrats have tabled a motion in the House of Lords to kill a Government bill that will severely restrict disability benefits.
the Liberal Democrat spokeswoman for Work and Pensions, Baroness Cathy Bakewell, said the plans were “outrageous” and accused the Conservatives of treating disabled people with “total contempt”.
“The Government is using its recent losses in court as an excuse to severely restrict disability benefits. Rather than listening to the ruling they are using it to make matters worse for disabled people – that is utterly outrageous.
“What makes things even worse is that they have sneaked this announcement out under the cover of by-elections.
“These decisions impact the lives of vulnerable people. Liberal Democrats will not allow the Conservatives to get away with treating people with disabilities with such total contempt.”
[The Tory Government’s plan] follows a written statement to the House of Commons by Conservative disability minister Penny Mordaunt that the Government will introduce emergency legislation to tighten the criteria of Personal Independence Payments (PIP) to disabled people after they were told to cover a broader spectrum of claimants, including those with mental health problems.The move could potentially deprive 160,000 people of state help which is “rightfully theirs”, disability charity Scope warned.
Source: Liberal Democrats to try to kill Government’s bill to restrict disability benefits
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Please do not expect honour of Mr Mandelson, he is possessed of no virtue.
My memory is hopeless Mike but I think Lib Dems and Labour joined ranks in the Lords with some Cross bench peers trying to stop the cut in WRAG only for the Govt to force it through using the financial privilege rule. So just one party put the motion forward.
I suppose that is the challenge of Coalition horse trading that goes on at the start of any political marriage. Libbos did not fully appreciate just how lethal letting Cons loose with benefits and anything to do with underlings living standards would be taken up with such vengeance. I guess a few of the poorer disabled Cons probably now regret their Cons voting decisions at the elections…..ho hum
Tory cuts to the disabled, shocking, its all about keeping people down so they wont fight back, the truth be known about the deficit of billions, really that doesnt matter quite frankly, the torys are legally corrupt, fact. and finally they all went to eton and cambridge and it was bread into them that they are, well i will let you think on that one, and it so true.
I seem to remember many Liberal Democrat Lords resisting and not voting for things like the Bedroom Tax and similar. Are you sure you’re right about this, Mike? Certainly most Lib Dem MPs did as they were told and voted for the various welfare bills – although their current leader Mr Farron didn’t and several other Lib Dem MPs abstained – but, as far as I can remember, many Lib Dem Lords didn’t.
If they didn’t, then they would have been rebelling against their party every time because the Liberal Democrats were in Coalition with the Conservatives.
I certainly don’t remember any such rebellions, although there may have been one or two. Remember, there are only 102 Liberal Democrat lords, in a house of more than 800.
Ah. I’ve just looked it up and it seems a grand total of two Liberal Democrat lords rebelled against the bedroom tax.