Stephen Timms slams Iain Duncan Smith and Tories over child poverty

By The Press Association21st July 2015News EnglandAusterity, Child Poverty, Government / Politics, News England, Poverty / Austerity, Welfare Reform

Child poverty is something the Conservatives do not want people to talk about which is why they are renaming the child poverty act the Life Chances Act, Labour has claimed.

Shadow work and pensions minister Stephen Timms (pictured) slammed plans in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill to rename Labour’s 2010 Act as well as abandoning its targets on reducing child poverty.

Just like food banks, the Tories want to stop people even discussing the issue, Mr Timms claimed.

He said the Government has now abandoned any pretence of wanting to eliminate child poverty and claimed the Tories had broken a manifesto pledge.

Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith has committed to changing the definition of child poverty so that it takes into account factors such as educational achievement and employment within a family

During the Bill’s second reading, Mr Timms told the Commons: “The Conservative Party manifesto promised it would ‘work to eliminate child poverty’.

“It is now absolutely clear that they didn’t mean it.

“The Bill abandons any pretence that they did.

“Instead of eliminating the scandal of child poverty, the Bill attempts to eliminate the term.”

He went on: “We have known for some time of a debate in the Conservative Party about the validity of the relative poverty measure.

“But they aren’t now just changing the definition, they aren’t interested in stopping child poverty, only in stopping people talking about it.

“It’s exactly like food banks, the Tories want to stop people discussing them.

“So this Bill tells us in clause six, section nine, that we shouldn’t refer any more to the child poverty act 2010, instead it is to be known as the Life Chances Act.

“But there are fewer life chances for a child growing up in poverty and poverty needs to be reduced.”

Helen Goodman said she had the “privilege” of helping to develop the Child Poverty Act during the previous Labour administration.

The Labour former work and pensions minister said: “We had all-party support at that time so it’s very disappointing that this Government is abandoning the Child Poverty Act and even the aspiration to end child poverty.

“It’s ridiculous for them to attempt to airbrush the whole concept from the statute book.”