The majority of Manchester’s Labour MPs have failed to
oppose a bill this week that is expected to make life more difficult for the
city’s most vulnerable people. The Manchester Green Party welcomes the decision
by two MPs to rebel and is calling on other local MPs to do more to combat the
city’s growing poverty.
Manchester has some of the highest levels of child poverty
in the country. The Welfare Reform and Work Bill, which passed its second
reading by 308 to 124 votes, has been heavily criticised by academics,
charities and campaign groups who say that if the bill becomes law, it will
have a detrimental affect to children and families in poverty, young people out
of work, and ill and disabled people.
Rather than voting against the bill, the Labour leadership
instructed its MPs to abstain on the vote. The bill passed with a majority of
184, precisely the number of Labour MPs who abstained.
Manchester Green Party welcomes the decision taken by
Gorton MP Gerald Kaufman and Blackley and Broughton MP Graham Stringer to rebel
against the Labour line and oppose the bill.
Unfortunately, Manchester’s other MPs, Lucy Powell, whose
constituency has one of the highest rates of child poverty in the UK, and the
newly elected Jeff Smith, were among those who followed their party leadership
and abstained on the vote.
Deyika Nzeribe of the Hulme Green Party said:
“If more Labour MPs had rebelled against their party and
joined other opposition members in the SNP, Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and
the Green Party, the bill would have been defeated and Manchester’s families in
poverty protected from yet more government’s cuts to tax credits, welfare
benefits and public services.
“It’s astounding and depressing that the majority of
Manchester’s Labour MPs refused to stand up for their most vulnerable
constituents. Manchester Central has one of the worst rates of child poverty in
the UK and we have an opposition MP apparently afraid to oppose this toxic Tory
bill.
“The Manchester Green Party calls on Manchester’s Labour MPs
to listen to their constituents, to look at the evidence that these cuts are
hurting our most vulnerable citizens and to join the growing opposition in
parliament, which is currently being led by the smaller parties. The poor and
in need should not be paying for the mistakes of past governments or the
financial sector.”
Green Party MP Caroline Lucas, who voted against the bill,
said:
“It's now down to MPs from all parties to look beyond the
politics of today’s debate and focus instead on the devastating impact that
this piece of legislation will have on people up and down the country.
"Our crumbling social security system is on the brink
– now is the time to take a stand.
“George Osborne is playing politics with poverty. Failing
to stand up to this regressive Welfare reform would be an utter betrayal of the
principle which says that those in need deserve support.”
More than half a million people in Greater Manchester are
believed to be living in poverty, with a further 1.6 million at risk. Many are
working for low wages and rely on working tax credits to lift them out of fuel
poverty and food poverty. The bill will make it harder still for these families
to thrive and survive.
The benefit cap is to be lowered to £20,000 and the bill
contains a clause that gives the government the right to lower this yet further
without consulting parliament. This will plunge large families with high rent
costs further into poverty.
The bill also abandons the UK’s commitment to eradicating
child poverty by 2020 and goes so far as to redefine poverty so that it no
longer relates to people’s ability to afford essentials such as shelter and
food.
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When it explained what was offered in the press the response was [to paraphrase
and replace words] – ‘Goodness me, they should hurry up, this is no flowery
joke being out here’.
