The Lib Dem MP criticised Labour's welfare policies in an interview with Left Foot Forward
At this year’s Liberal Democrat conference, ‘constructive opposition’ was the phrase you would hear more than any other. In keynote speeches, fringe meetings and media interviews, MPs new and old repeatedly made clear that was the approach they wanted to take to the new Labour government.
Manuela Perteghella – the new Lib Dem MP for Stratford-On-Avon is no different. In an interview with Left Foot Forward at the conference, she said that her party’s now 72 MPs would ‘work collaboratively’ with Labour, promising to be supportive of elements of their agenda, but to push for improvements in other areas.
She summed up her attitude to Labour in office as follows: “My verdict on the Labour government I think it’s a much better government than the Tories, I don’t think you can get any worse than the Conservatives, but I think there’s lots of room for improvement on the social justice side.”
All of the Lib Dem MPs we spoke to this year had a similar list of issues around which they said wanted to push for those improvements, with sewage pollution, the NHS and SEND education coming up time and time again. Like her colleagues, Perteghella raised the issue of polluted water ways.
She told Left Foot Forward there was a ‘huge problem with sewage pollution” in her constituency, going on to add: “it’s a local issue to us because our wildlife suffers, I have residents that have been feeling sick after being in the water”.
Perteghella went on to illustrate how this is an example of an issue where the Lib Dems are in part supportive of Labour’s agenda but want additional action. She said: “Of course there’s the Water Bill that’s been published. I think we welcome some aspects of it, but as you will know from our policies, we want the government to go further. We would completely abolish Ofwat and replace it with a tougher regulator.
“And also we want water companies to become public benefit companies so that they put the public benefit before profit. And of course we welcome the tougher sanctions on water company bosses – that’s fine.
“But I think that it’s our job now to tell the government to go even further on that, because it’s a national scandal. And it really upsets us.”
Beyond the ongoing sewage scandal, the area Perteghella speaks most extensively about is Labour’s approach to welfare. Since coming to power, Labour has faced two key votes on the benefits – first on the two child benefit cap, and second on the government’s plans to begin means testing the Winter Fuel Allowance. Perteghella argued that Labour’s decision making here illustrated that they need to be pushed to deliver on social justice.
She told Left Foot Forward: “I was disappointed about the two child cap. That’s such a small thing to do, such an easy thing to do to lift children out of poverty.
“So I think I was in a way disappointed in that and disappointed on the winter fuel cut, because that’s a local issue – you asked me about local issues – you’ve got SEND to do with children, sewage that everyone is upset [with], and then on the other [end of the] spectrum, I have older and vulnerable pensioners in my constituency that actually will be really really greatly impacted because many of them do not qualify for pension credit – they miss it by £20. We’ve got lots of off-grid homes which are homes which are not connected to the main gas – there isn’t even an energy cap on those.”
She then went to say that she would have wanted the government to put safeguards in place for vulnerable pensioners before making changes to the Winter Fuel Allowance.
She told Left Foot Forward: “It’s just a cliff-edge, and lots of vulnerable pensioners will fall through the crack and miss out on winter fuel. And they’ve told me they’re not going to put the heating on. That’s going to have an impact on our hospitals. Because the pension credit is so low already and supports just above the poverty line, I think I would have wanted to see a Labour government to put more safeguards [in place], and maybe to put up the threshold for pension credit or get more support, broaden the targeting of Winter Fuel [Allowance].”
Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forward
Image credit: UK Parliament – Creative Commons
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