Iain Macwhirter
tax credits
Osborne is guilty of creative accounting on an epic scale. But at least those tax credit cuts are stopped
Budgets that look good on the day generally come apart by the weekend. Yesterday’s speech from the Chancellor was technically a spending statement but the same rule applies. However, the positive impact of George Osborne’s biggest ever U-turn may last a little longer. The tax credit reductions that could have left the poorest families in … Continue reading
Kezia Dugdale: pledges to compensate for tax credit cuts. Will the Scottish Government?
As I was perambulating around the rather sparse Scottish Labour conference in the Perth I bumped into the former Scottish (and UK) Labour minister, Malcolm Chisholm. He reminded me that, in 2006, he’d been sacked by the Labour leader, Jack McConnell, for voting against Trident in Holyrood. Changed days. Opposition to the renewal of Trident … Continue reading
The Lords gave Osborne a bloody nose, but that doesn’t justify its existence.
GO Lords! Opponents of the government’s tax credit cuts, including members of the Scottish National Party, were cheering the upper house last night. Their Lordships have made clear the Chancellor, George Osborne, needs to think again on this key measure of welfare reform. Now there is an obvious irony here. Many of those celebrating their … Continue reading
The Tories have cut tax credits and social housing and called it a war on poverty.
Credit where it’s due: David Cameron, a Tory prime minister leading the most right-wing party since the 1980s, has committed his government to abolishing poverty, inequality and discrimination. These are noble objectives. We should all earnestly hope that he succeeds. It is an abomination that two thirds of children in poverty live in households where … Continue reading
Iain Macwhirter 