The Scottish Socialist Party has challenged the Labour candidate in Rutherglen and Hamilton West to come out of hiding and condemn his party leadership’s refusal to abolish the hated bedroom tax, a full 10 years after the Tories introduced this punitive attack on those on lowest incomes.
This challenge comes in the wake of Scottish Labour’s economy spokesperson, Daniel Johnson MSP, stating that Labour “can’t make uncosted pledges ahead of the election”, after journalists asked him whether he agreed with Sir Keir Starmer’s refusal to commit a future Labour government to abolition of the bedroom tax.
SSP Campaign Manager in Rutherglen and Hamilton West, Richie Venton, said:
“10 years ago, the SSP organised numerous public meetings and protests when the Tories introduced the bedroom tax, which robs people on low incomes – including low-paid workers – of Housing Benefit and Universal Credit if they have a so-called spare bedroom.
“We fought for a massive house building programme of at least 100,000 high quality council houses for affordable rent, to cater for people’s varied housing needs, instead of hammering those who either couldn’t get re-housed or needed an extra bedroom for visiting family members, or for medical equipment such as dialysis machines, with the threat of eviction hanging over their heads.
“Now, as part of being the continuity Tory Party, Labour is threatening to keep this obnoxious legislation, which has stolen benefits off nearly 100,000 Scottish families.
“Scottish households impacted have lost an average of £786 in Housing Benefit and £709 in Universal Credit in 2022 alone. That’s stealing food off the tables of people on low incomes, workers included, and it’s shameful that Labour refuses to give a clear, unambiguous pledge to get rid of it.
“The SSP would tax the bosses’ boardrooms instead of working-class people’s bedrooms.”
Bill Bonnar, the SSP’s candidate in Rutherglen and Hamilton West, said:
“I’ve worked in the housing sector for years, with first-hand knowledge of the impact of the Tory Bedroom Tax.
“In common with thousands of other local people, I demand a simple yes or no answer from the Labour candidate: will you or will you not abolish the Bedroom Tax? Will you or will you not condemn your Scottish Labour economy spokesperson, your UK party leader Sir Keir Starmer, and a rogues’ gallery of other Labour figures who have refused to promise immediate repeal of the bedroom tax?
“The Labour candidate’s stony silence is sickening, considering he wants votes from local people.
“He’s ignored my challenges to come out into the open and condemn Sir Keir Starmer for saying a Labour government will keep the obnoxious two-child benefits cap. Is he going to also ignore my demand to come out and say Labour will abolish the bedroom tax immediately?
“Or is he just like all the prominent Labour leaders who are promising that absolutely nothing will change if we replace the Tories with a Labour government, because we’ll have the same Tory spending limits, the same poverty wages, the same anti-union laws, the same cuts to benefits under Starmer’s New Tories?”
For more information, or to interview Bill Bonnar, contact SSP Campaign Manager Richie Venton on 07828278093 or richieventon@hotmail.com