Labour Party: Tories and Lib Dems are hoping to hide from families how much they’ll be hit by their plans – Cooper

Peter Mandelson, Labour's head of election strategy, Yvette Cooper, Labour's Work and Pensions Secretary and Douglas Alexander, Labour's General Election co-ordinator, today held a press conference on the Tory and Lib Dem plans on tax credits, which is emerging as a key theme in the final days of the election campaign.

Yvette Cooper, Labour’s Work and Pensions Secretary said:

“We’ve increased support to help parents balance work and family life – free child care, parental leave, Sure Start, flexible working and child tax credits.

“And we want to go further – not cut that back. We want to keep increasing free child care, and increase child tax credit for families with toddlers too. And we’ve set out in the Budget how we’ll pay for it.

“But the Tories and Lib Dems would both cut child tax credits back. Making it harder for parents to manage, making it harder for many mums to afford to work part time or stay at home when the children are small, leaving more families overstretched.

“The Tories and the Lib Dems are hoping to hide from families how much they’ll be hit by their p lans.

“So on 6 May, your Tax Credits and family budgets are on the ballot paper. They will only be protected by Labour.”

Peter Mandelson, Labour’s head of election strategy said:

“One thing is clear: the electoral arithmetic means only two parties can form the next government and give Britain its Prime Minister. Labour or Tory. Gordon Brown or David Cameron.

“David Cameron, according to this morning’s newspapers, is preparing to waltz into Downing Street. But the voters are telling a different story.

“Critical to this is the future of Child Tax Credits. David Cameron has swung around hopelessly on what he is saying about this vital family support.

“And what is clearly emerging from our contact with voters is that their alarm about Tory pleas is growing, and this is being experienced increasingly by young mothers.”

Douglas Alexander, Labour’s General Election co-ordinator sa id:

“In the days ahead we will be focussing relentlessly on the risk that David Cameron’s Conservatives represent to family finances and communities across the country.

“Our new election broadcast featuring Ross Kemp drives home this message, identifying the specific threat to the Child Tax Credit from the Conservatives.

“So too will the new direct mail that will arrive on Wednesday on the doorsteps of 850,000 voters across just over 100 of the most marginal seats. Once again focusing on the threat to the Child Tax Credit being removed by the Conservatives.”