Green leaders urge Labour backbenchers to vote down benefit cuts

Green co-leaders Adrian Ramsay MP and Carla Denyer MP appeal to Labour backbenchers to think again on supporting looming benefits cuts:

“Experts at Scope suggest that 700,000 disabled households will be pushed into poverty by the government’s planned changes to welfare.

“This is an unconscionable choice for any government to make. And it is a choice. We could and should be choosing to tax the very wealthiest a small amount more instead.

“Sadly, though, this Labour government has a growing track record here. They’ve chosen to place extra hardships on those already struggling – from cutting winter fuel payments to pensioners to refusing to reverse the two-child benefit cap, keeping 540,000 children in poverty.

“We don’t think for a second this is what most Labour MPs came into politics for.

“We know many will feel incredibly uncomfortable at the moment. But feeling uncomfortable isn’t enough.

“We need these Labour MPs to have a moral backbone and vote for what they genuinely believe in to prevent these cruel, unnecessary policies from being enacted.”