SCOTTISH businesswoman Michelle Mone has admitted she made a mistake by backing tax credit cuts in her first vote in the House of Lords.
There was outrage last year when the Tory peer was among 272 Lords who voted in favour of former Chancellor George Osborne’s plan.
The businesswoman, who was appointed Baroness Mone of Mayfair by former Prime Minister David Cameron, has now expressed regret over backing plans not to delay the cuts, which would have cost three million struggling families £1,300 a year had they not been blocked by Labour peers.
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During an online question and answer session, Baroness Mone was asked by Twitter user Jack Reason: “Why did you use your first vote in the House of Lords to support working tax credit cuts?”
She replied: “It was a mistake and I regret it.”
Baroness Mone, a former Labour supporter, grew up in Glasgow and left school at 15 before setting up lingerie firm Ultimo in 1996 with ex- husband Michael.
Last year, senior Scottish business figures questioned her business acumen when Mr Cameron invited her to lead a study into ways to encourage start-up firms in disadvantaged areas.
The appointment coincided with news she was being made a Tory peer. She faced further criticism when pictures emerged of her using a chauffeur-driven government car to undertake her review.
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A few days after the vote on tax credits, Baroness Mone was photographed at the exclusive Sandy Lane resort in Barbados with her ex-boyfriend Stefan Soroka.
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