Fairness claims lack substance

17.08.10

Commenting on the speech today by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Head of Policy Rights and Advocacy at Child Poverty Action Group, Imran Hussain, said:

“The Coalition’s commitment to fairness still lacks substance. The Chancellor’s claim the budget was fair unravelled as soon as it was exposed to independent scrutiny. The Institute for Fiscal Studies said the emergency budget measures were regressive.

“Nothing the Government has done so far will make progress on child poverty, despite the fact that ending child poverty has a net economic benefit and social benefits for everyone.

“The Chancellor has yet to set out a credible process for ensuring fairness in the spending review. A promise to slash the welfare bill runs counter to fairness and the Government has stonewalled requests for information on the fairness criteria that potential spending cuts will be tested against.”

Notes for editors

• Research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation suggests that the net economic benefit of ending UK chid poverty is around £25 billion:
  http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/estimating-costs-child-poverty
• Child Poverty Action Group’s manifesto, published in March 2009, can be found at: www.cpag.org.uk/manifesto
• For up-to-date background facts and stats on UK poverty, visit: www.cpag.org.uk/povertyfacts/
• CPAG is one of over 150 member organisations of the Campaign to End Child Poverty, campaigning for public and political commitment to ensure the goals of halving child poverty by 2010 and ending child poverty by 2020 are met.

For further information please contact:
Tim Nichols
CPAG Press Officer
Tel. 020 7812 5216 or 07816 909302 
tnichols@cpag.org.uk