Tory welfare minister says disabled people are “not worth” the minimum wage

Conservative welfare reform minister Lord Freud is facing calls to be sacked from the Government for saying that disabled people are “not worth the full wage”. In response to a question at Tory Party Conference, Freud said:

“You make a really good point about the disabled… Now, there is a small… there is a group, and I know exactly who you mean, where actually as you say they’re not worth the full wage and actually I’m going to go and think about that particular issue, whether there is something we can do nationally, and without distorting the whole thing, which actually if someone wants to work for £2 an hour, and it’s working can we actually… “

You can hear the full quote here:

Ed Miliband brought the comments up at PMQs this afternoon, asking Cameron: “Surely someone who holds these views can’t possibly stay in his Government?”

Cameron responded by saying: “Those are not the views of the Government, those are not the views of anyone in the Government” – a line which surely makes Freud’s ministerial position untenable.

He went on to say that Miliband was casting aspersions: “Instead of casting aspersions, why doesn’t he get back to talking about the economy.”

Miliband said this was proof that “The Nasty Party is back.”

Watch the exchange here: