Cooper attacks benefit cuts

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

Speaking to the BBC this morning, Shadow Work and Pensions secretary Yvette Cooper attacked Tory plans as “simply benefit cuts”.

“What they’re actually going is they’re in fact, if you look at the other proposals in the budget, cutting support for those who are severely disabled and who are unable to work – they will lose around £500 a year over the next few years, and that’s for people who really can’t work, they’re actually cutting their benefits.

“This is not welfare reform…it is simply benefit cuts. None of these proposals will get a single extra person back into jobs and, in fact, the reverse is true: the budget is actually going to cut the number of jobs in the economy.”

Cooper has been a strong and visible member of the shadow cabinet since the election, and should do well in the forthcoming shadow cabinet elections.