Cameron vows not to slash child benefit after earlier failures to rule out cut
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Version 0 of 1. David Cameron has declared a Conservative government would not cut child benefit, in an attempt to close down a row over the allowance as Labour accused him of repeatedly failing to rule out restricting it. The prime minister had made no guarantees he would not cut, restrict or means-test child benefit since early Thursday, when the Liberal Democrats revealed a document proposing such changes in 2012. The Tories say the paper was commissioned by Danny Alexander, the Lib Dem treasury minister who leaked it. Alexander has said it was put forward by senior Tories. Cameron was pressed on the issue on the BBC’s Question Time on Thursday night and again in Leeds on Friday morning – both times failing to rule out cuts. But by Friday afternoon, Cameron told ITV News: “We are not cutting child benefit, we are keeping child benefit … It is an absolutely crucial benefit and with me as prime minister, it stays.” His statement suggests the Conservatives are anxious about the impact on voters of any suggestion that they could hit household budgets in the next parliament. However, his comments still leave some wriggle room for changes and the prime minister has not categorically ruled out making adjustments to who receives the payment. I've just finished speaking in Bristol about our commitment to protect Child Benefit and the Tory plan to cut it. https://t.co/Q7fICDLvrL The accusation that the Conservatives want to cut child benefit is a major Labour attack line and the subject of a poster campaign. One of the adverts is entitled “Women and children first? Confirmed: the Tories will cut child benefit”. After speaking in Bristol on Friday, Ed Miliband tweeted an Instagram picture of himself at the lectern, saying: “I’ve just finished speaking to people in Bristol about our commitment to protect child benefit and the Tories’ plan to cut it.” In his speech he said it was “brutally clear” that the Conservatives will cut child benefit as they seek £12bn of welfare savings in the next parliament. Cameron had faced mounting questions about his child benefit plans after avoding a firm commitment during Question Time. During the BBC programme, he said he did not want to cut child benefit and had no plans to do so – similar wording to the ones he used about VAT before the last election. The coalition increased the rate in 2010. Related: 'Secret' Tory plans for £8bn in welfare cuts exposed by Danny Alexander Referring to the Lib Dem leak in the Guardian, he said: “I don’t want to do that. This report … is something I rejected at the time as prime minister and I reject again today. “Child benefit to me is one of the most important benefits there is. It goes directly to the family, normally to the mother, £20 for the first child, £14 for the second. It is the key part of families’ budgets in this country. That’s not what we need to change.” While Cameron spoke emphatically, his language was equivocal. Speaking at Asda headquarters in Leeds on Friday, Cameron was again asked if he could be more explicit and rule out a cut in child benefit but again did not make a promise. “With child benefit we’ve made our reform,” he said. “We’ve said it is a vital benefit for Britain’s families. It goes straight to the mother in most cases. It forms a key part of family budgets. We’ve made our reform. We’ve frozen it in this parliament and we’ve said we’ll have to freeze it for two years in the next parliament. We’ve said child benefit stays because it’s so important. “But should we be reforming welfare? Should we have a country where it always pays to work? Yes we should.” Labour has been campaigning hard on the idea that the Conservatives have a secret plan to cut child benefit and tax credit. Miliband said Cameron’s phrasing left open the possibility of cuts. “David Cameron might have sounded like he gave you an answer but he didn’t give you a guarantee,” the Labour leader said on Question Time. “Child benefit and tax credits are still on the ballot paper.” The party also pointed to an interview given by Liz Truss, the Tory environment secretary, in which she missed six opportunities to say child benefit was safe. Asked on Thursday whether she could guarantee child benefit, she said: “We’ve made our plans absolutely clear, which is we are going to freeze working-age benefits for two years to save £2bn. The rest of the changes we’re making are all about helping get people into work. That is our priority, he [Cameron] made a very clear case for that. Ed Miliband, when challenged on welfare, he waffled away and didn’t really give any clear answers at all.” |