Leadership candidates refuse to back Harman on child tax credits

Three of Labour’s leadership candidates have spoken out against Harriet Harman’s announcement that Labour won’t oppose the benefits cap.

Yesterday Labour’s interim leader Harriet Harman said that Labour would support the Government’s decision to restrict child benefits to two children. On the Sunday Politics 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”

However, she is now facing opposition from three of Labour’s four leadership candidates. Jeremy Corbyn, has argued that this policy will force more people into poverty: “If it is proposed that Labour MPs are being asked to vote for the government’s plans to cut benefits to families, I am not willing to vote for policies that will push more children into poverty. Families are suffering enough. We shouldn’t play the government’s political games when the welfare of children is at stake.”

Similarly Andy Burnham’s campaign team released a statement saying: “Andy opposes cuts to child tax credits. These are paid to people who are doing the right thing and working hard to make ends meet. These tax credit changes are regressive, they are wrong, they hit families in work and Andy opposes them.”

While, Yvette Cooper’s team said: “Yvette has made clear from the start that she does not believe the best way to reduce the deficit is to hit working families, reduce work incentives and push more children into poverty. She has said that the Tory plans for cutting tax credits and abandoning the child poverty target do both and Labour should strongly oppose them.”

Liz Kendall has yet to release a statement on this but a question on this subject could come up in a hustings live on the BBC this morning.

Update: Liz Kendall has said during this morning’s hustings that she opposes cuts to tax credits without the implementation of a credible living wage. However she said she agrees with Harman that Labour needs to offer credible alternative.

Other MPs who have spoken out against Harman’s announcements include London Mayoral candidate Diane Abbott:

Benefits cap arbitrary way of cutting welfare bill which plays to prejudice & myth. @UKLabour should not support it pic.twitter.com/8HZtQFJOLG

— Diane Abbott (@HackneyAbbott) July 12, 2015

Shadow Minister Jon Trickett

Labour must not be neutral on child tax credits. We should vote against these vindictive attack on families.

— Jon Trickett (@jon_trickett) July 12, 2015

And John McTernan, who political advsier who served as Jim Murphy’s Chief of Staff when Murphy was Scottish Labour leader

Huge error. The voters were not telling Labour that they wanted more child poverty. https://t.co/twH3X7Pg2Z

— John McTernan (@johnmcternan) July 12, 2015