LABOUR will today seek to put the Conservatives and their Liberal Democrat Coalition partners on the spot in a Commons vote, that will call for the immediate abolition of the bedroom tax.
Ahead of the debate and the vote, the Opposition highlighted how official statistics showed some 472,000 people across Britain, 70,000 in Scotland, had been affected by what the UK Government calls the spare room subsidy.
"The bedroom tax is cruel and unjust," declared Margaret Curran, the Shadow Scottish Secretary. "It has forced older people out of their homes, it has meant people with disabilities are paying more to have a room for a carer and it has made it even more difficult for families to make ends meet."
She added: "Tens of thousands of people across Scotland have been affected. Scottish Labour led the way and made the Scottish Government take action to mitigate the bedroom tax in Scotland. Today, led by Labour, we can end the bedroom tax once and for all across the whole of Britain. This has to be the last Christmas that families face the Tory's bedroom tax."
Last night a senior Labour source hit out at the Liberal Democrats, saying: "Two-faced doesn't come close to describing the Lib Dems when it comes to the bedroom tax.
"They're more interested in keeping their ministerial cars than getting their constituents off the Tories' hook. If they don't vote for abolition today, it's now absolutely clear where the stand; with the Tories and against the people of Scotland who want the bedroom tax abolished. They will pay a heavy price at the election in May."
Meantime, following the vote on the bedroom tax, Labour will turn its fire on foodbanks with another Commons debate on the subject.
Maria Eagle, the Shadow Environment Secretary, said during the last six months there had been a 38 per cent increase in the number of people seeking food aid from the Trussell Trust charity's 420 food banks; the total was more than 492,000.
"It is shocking that 45 to 60 per cent of the ever increasing need for food aid we see is primarily caused by the actions of the Department for Work and Pensions. Yet Ministers have done nothing since our debate last year to tackle the benefit delays and changes which are causing so much of the problem," she said.
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