Miliband: I’ll force a vote on housing benefit
By Ian Dunt
Labour will force a vote on housing benefit in the Commons in a move which could drag the row on for another fortnight.
Ed Miliband said he would encourage Liberal Democrat MPs to vote with him against the government.
“A week from Tuesday we will force a vote in the House of Commons on housing benefit,” he told the Scottish Labour conference.
“Our appeal is to all MPs of conscience:
“Join us, vote against these unfair and unworkable changes and force the government to think again.”
Several key Liberal Democrats figures, including deputy leader Simon Hughes, are known to be against the cut.
Elsewhere in a passionate and largely philosophical speech, Mr Miliband attacked David Cameron’s notions of the ‘big society’ and of pursuing a deficit reduction plan without enough thought for its consequences.
“They claim to have wised up,” Mr Miliband said.
“Now they offer something you may have heard of, the ‘big society’. But conference what does it really amount to? They think if government gets out the way, the ‘big society’ will miraculously spring up and take its place. They totally failed to learn the lessons of history.
“The income of the charitable sector is double what it was we came to office. That didn’t happen because government got out the way. It happened because government supported civil society.”
The new Labour leader spent much of the speech defending Labour’s record on economic issues. Labour strategists are increasingly convinced that unless they undo the Tory argument that the crisis was created by Labour they will not have an audience for their agenda at the next election.
“We have a duty,” Mr Miliband said.
“We must stand up for the truth, because we know the story and we must tell it like it is. There was a global financial crisis affecting every country. Our Labour government paid down the debt before the crisis hit.
“We should fight back against the Tory deceit,” he added.
“We will never say unemployment is a price worth paying. We will say: never again.”
Michael Fallon, deputy chairman of the Conservative party, hit back: “It is the coalition government that is taking the tough decisions now so that the country can face a brighter future.
“By contrast, Labour has no plan for economic recovery or building a stronger society. All they can do is talk Britain and Britons down.
“For all his talk of optimism, Ed Miliband’s ‘new generation’ look more and more like a bunch of Victor Meldrews.”
The speech comes six months ahead of elections for the Scottish parliament in May, when Labour will try to win Hollyrood back from the Scottish national party (SNP).
