Tory MP says tax credit cuts ‘betray’ Tory values, but doesn’t vote against them

Support us and go ad-free

Heidi Allen, Conservative MP for South Cambridgeshire, made an impassioned maiden speech. She attacked the Conservative party’s cuts to tax credits saying the party has a “single-minded determination to reach a budget surplus” and that this is “betraying who we are”. But she didn’t vote against the government.

It is unusual for an MP to use a maiden speech as a time to be critical of their own party – Ms Allen showed audacity. Yet, her constituents might be bemused as to why she refused to rebel against the government when she felt so strongly about the issue. To add insult to injury, on 15 September, Ms Allen voted for the reduction of tax credits. It appears she is saying one thing and doing another.

I became an MP to stand up for the vulnerable, to lead the way for those too tired to find it for themselves, that is the role of government too. Conservatives pride themselves on living within their means, of cutting their cloth. But what if there is no cloth left to cut? How many of us really know what it feels like? How many have walked in those shoes? 

She said that reforms needed to happen but:

The pace of these reforms is too hard and too fast. Too many people will be adversely affected. Something must give.

She joined another 11 Conservative MPs (including Boris Johnson and Zac Goldsmith) in raising concerns about the government’s proposals to cut tax credits. However, not one Conservative MP voted against the government. This shows a distinct lack of willingness that some MPs have in sticking with their convictions.

Members of the public, like Kelly who spoke to The Canary last week, have grown increasingly frustrated at the government’s stance on tax credits and their inability to treat recipients of tax credits as real people. Some Conservative MPs were laughing and jeering as Prime Minister’s Questions took place.

Read on...

No amount of rhetoric, no matter how courageous, will hide the way that an MP votes. MPs must represent the “wants, needs and opinions” of their constituents, as Kay recently told The Canary.

Featured image via- Heidi Allen’s website

We know everyone is suffering under the Tories - but the Canary is a vital weapon in our fight back, and we need your support

The Canary Workers’ Co-op knows life is hard. The Tories are waging a class war against us we’re all having to fight. But like trade unions and community organising, truly independent working-class media is a vital weapon in our armoury.

The Canary doesn’t have the budget of the corporate media. In fact, our income is over 1,000 times less than the Guardian’s. What we do have is a radical agenda that disrupts power and amplifies marginalised communities. But we can only do this with our readers’ support.

So please, help us continue to spread messages of resistance and hope. Even the smallest donation would mean the world to us.

Support us

Comments are closed