PM ducks rape clause issue again

Prime Minister, David Cameron, has been accused of “shamefully ducking” questions about his Government’s proposed plans for a rape clause on tax credits.

A cross-party group of MPs representing nine parties in the House of Commons – including the Conservatives – recently wrote to the Prime Minister, calling upon him to unequivocally drop plans to introduce a rape clause. The Prime Minister’s plans would, as they stand, require a woman whose third child was born of rape to justify this to a Government official in order to receive tax credit payments.

Over 10,600 people recently signed a petition calling for the proposals to be scrapped. Despite the petition closing a fortnight ago, the Government is yet to respond or acknowledge it.

This week the Prime Minister’s office replied to Ms Thewliss and indicated that the David Cameron would not be responding to the cross-party letter and that he had passed the correspondence from nine cross-party MPs to a junior Treasury Minister for response.

Ms Thewliss commented:

“The Prime Minister is shamefully ducking very legitimate questions about his immoral, unworkable and cruel rape clause proposals.

“Given the serious questions raised, the significant public interest it has attracted and the strong cross-party consensus we have, it is utterly shameful that the Prime Minister is abdicating responsibility on this issue.

“If, as I suspect, he can’t defend this ludicrous policy, then he should at least have the guts to do the right thing and bin these proposals today.”

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