There’s one story that’s been dominating the headlines this week, and that’s the rejection by the House of Lords of George Osborne’s planned changes to child tax credits and working tax credits, leading to some slightly overheated talk of a ‘constitutional crisis’.
Normally, under the Salisbury Convention, the Lords would be reluctant to oppose policy changes which were clearly set out in the governing party’s election manifesto. But the problem with these specific changes is that they weren’t. There was a vague pledge to cut a further £12 billion from welfare spending, but no detail on how this would be achieved – with David Cameron at one point explicitly saying that he wouldn’t cut tax credits.
The House of Lords rejecting Government policy in such a wholesale fashion is unusual, but Labour and Liberal Democrat peers will have taken the gamble that voters will care more about the money in their pockets every month than the obscurities of parliamentary convention – and it would be a surprise if they were proven wrong. Indeed, some might question what exactly the point of the House of Lords is if it simply rubber stamps Government decisions.
The Conservatives have now promised a “review” of the House of Lords, to secure the decisive role of the elected House of Commons in relation to financial matters and secondary legislation. Unfortunately, detractors wasted no time in pointing out the irony of this being led by the hereditary peer Lord Strathclyde.
With the political bruising they’ve taken this week, the Conservatives should remain grateful that Jeremy Corbyn continues to lead the Labour Party. Although to be fair to Jeremy, the tax credit fiasco gave him a good victory at PMQs this week. Responding to criticism that using all six of his questions on topics suggested by different members of the public prevented him from landing a killer blow, this week he used his entire allocation on tax credits. Sounding more like Jeremy Paxman than Jeremy Corbyn, he demanded that Cameron promise that no person would be worse off because of the changes. Despite pointing to policies such as the National Living Wage and free childcare, Cameron couldn’t promise this, because it just isn’t true – and he looked increasingly uncomfortable as the questioning went on.
Further squirming was to come when Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron stood up to ask a question about the refugee crisis. Cameron chose to make a joke about the number of Liberal Democrat MPs – not a great look on such an important topic, it has to be said.
…And Some Actual Poodles
Luckily the week hasn’t all been serious business. Parliamentarians gathered to enter their dogs in the Westminster Dog Show, courtesy of the Kennel Club and the Dog’s Trust. Andrea Jenkyns, who in May defeated the then Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls, claimed another victory as her dogs Lady and Godiva came in first place. Hounded into second was fellow Tory Penny Mordaunt but ruff justice for Labour’s Chris Matheson who came third. Disappointingly, Margaret Hodge – whose constituency covers Barking – didn’t enter. Still, at least there was one place for the Conservatives to score an easy victory this week.