The Green Party has accused the government of bringing in legislative changes which amount to an assault on future generations, through changes to Tax Credits, disability benefits, education funding and the redefinition of ‘child poverty’.
All but 48 Labour MPs abstained on the Welfare Reform and Work Bill. Caroline Lucas, Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, maintained her position of representing the Green Party’s consistent opposition to austerity cuts which have ravaged poor and vulnerable people.
Green Party Schools Spokesperson, Samantha Pancheri said:
“If one thing is clear from the Conservative Government’s actions since May, it is that they intend to continue punishing vulnerable people for the fraud and error of bankers, and that this burden will be felt for generations to come, as support for low income families is stripped away, and opportunities for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are obliterated.
“The redefinition of child poverty and government’s abandonment of targets to reduce it will not improve the lives of families who struggle to make ends meet, and the impact of this on a child’s whole lifetime should not be underestimated.
"As social security eligibility is removed from under-25s while the new minimum wage applies only to those over 25, we will see a new generation of impoverished young working people. With student maintenance grants converted to loans, and tuition fees still rising, we will see scores of young people alienated from Higher Education or saddled with tens of thousands of pounds in debt. With the benefit cap, reduction in housing benefit and limits on new tax credits claims, we will see more families unable to put food on the table and pay their bills. All of this is condemning a faultless generation to hardships that are increasingly impossible to overcome.
“This government should be ashamed of themselves for failing to protect the futures of children and young people, and for introducing yet more legislation to line the pockets of the already extravagantly wealthy.”