Tax credits: LibDem peers will try to stop Cameron's attack on the poor

Liberal Democrats have tabled a motion in the Lords to scrap Cameron's tax credit plans which would leave three million low income people £1,000 worse off.

Zahida Manzoor, our Work and Pensions spokesperson, is calling for the House not to approve the regulations and, if that is passed, the Government will have to come up with a revised version of their proposals.

The Liberal Democrats will alsosupport Labour peer Patricia Hollis’ amendment calling for transitional protection, but we don't believe this goes far enough.

LibDems say that the Government’s changes to tax credits are unacceptable.  David Cameron explicitly ruled them out during the General Election.

He is asking Parliament to cut support for people who go out to work to provide for their families.

These changes remind us of Mrs Thatcher's disastrous Poll Tax of 1982, which the Tories withdrew when it was opposed by the vast majority of the British people. But at least it was in the Tory general election manifesto, whereas this attack on the poor directly contradicts what Mr Cameron said in the 2015 campaign.

When he was asked during BBC Question Time on April 30 whether the Tories would cut tax credits, Mr Cameron replied:

"“No, I don't want to do that. This report that's out today is something I rejected at the time as Prime Minister and I reject it again today.”