Tory MP boycotts ministerial visit in his own seat in tax credits protest

In yet another blow to George Osborne’s plans, Conservative MP Stephen McPartland is refusing to meet with one of his Government’s own ministers when they visit his constituency today.

Treasury minister David Gauke will be in Stevenage today, but McPartlane says that he is “boycotting the meeting” because Gauke “does not want to talk about the cuts to Child Tax Credits I have uncovered.”

McPartland, who has been an MP since 2010, has effectively accused David Cameron of breaking an unequivocal election pledge not to cut child tax credits. During the Leaders’ Question Time programme, Cameron promised that child tax credits were “not going to fall”. However, statistics McPartland has uncovered from the independent House of Commons Library show that families will lose thousands in tax credits if the reforms are seen through in April.

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Writing on his website, McPartland describes the situation as “totally unacceptable”, and his intervention will give Osborne and Cameron a headache on a day that has already seen one Tory MP demand a “rethink” on tax credits. He added that the research “destroys the Government’s final defence that planned cuts do not apply to Child Tax Credits.”

“I am disappointed that Treasury Minister David Gauke is coming to Stevenage today to talk about R&D Tax Credits,” said McPartland. “I am boycotting the meeting and the media are not invited, as he does not want to talk about the cuts to Child Tax Credits I have uncovered.”

He pointed out that he has “voted against and have consistently spoken out about the proposed changes to Tax Credits. ”

Labour’s Seema Malhotra said she found the situation “astounding”.

The Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury said: “It is simply astounding that David Cameron and George Osborne’s failure to address concerns around their proposed tax credit cuts means one of their own MPs has had to protest in this way.”