Labour won’t oppose benefit cap, says Harman

Harriet Harman today said that Labour will not be opposing parts of the welfare reforms set out by George Osborne in Wednesday’s Budget. The acting Labour leader said that the party needed to listen to what concerns voters had, and that they would support restrictions on child benefits.

Speaking to Andrew Neil on the Sunday Politics this morning, she said:

“I think we won’t oppose the Welfare Bill, and we won’t oppose the household benefit cap. For example, what they’ve brought forward in regards to restricting benefits and tax credits for people with three or more children.

What we’ve got to do is listen to what people around the country said to us and recognise that we didn’t get elected – again.”

There were also some comments that have been interpreted as barbs towards the leadership candidates, suggesting that they needed to show people they understand why the Tories were elected:

“We’ve got to listen to their concerns and recognise why it was that the Tories are in Government and not us.”

Harman added some advice for those voting in the leadership contest, asking electors to think about which candidate could win an election and not simply “who we feel comfortable with”:

“I do say to all those people who are going to be voting in the leadership election, think not who you like and who makes you feel comfortable – think who actually will be able to reach out to the public and actually listen to the public and give them confidence, so that we can have a better result next time than we did last time. The point is not to have somebody who we can feel comfortable with, the point is to have somebody who can command the confidence of the country and that’s what they should have in their mind. There’s no point doing choice in a disappointed rage, we’ve got to be doing choice for the future.”

It is not the first time Harman has made this kind of remark – when she announced a series of televised hustings in June, she warned against a “cosy contest” and said there must be “no more asking ourselves who we like, but instead asking the country who they like.”

You can watch her full interview with Andrew Neil here: