George Osborne branded 'every woman's worst nightmare' over taxes and cuts

Updated

Chancellor George Osborne has been labelled "every woman's worst nightmare" as Labour warned his policies offer women an "insecure and worrying" future.

Shadow minister for women and equalities Kate Green attacked the Government's "shameful" record, claiming more than 80% of tax and benefits savings have been "taken from the purses of women" since 2010.

She added women have also suffered in several other areas, including employment rates and public spending.

The Opposition wants the impact of Government policies on women to be urgently assessed and steps taken to improve the situation up until 2020.

Speaking during an Opposition-led debate on women and the economy, Labour former minister Dawn Butler (Brent Central) asked Ms Green: "Would you agree with me that George Osborne is every woman's worst nightmare?"

Ms Green replied: "I'm not going to presume to speak for every woman's attitude to the Chancellor but his policies have certainly been damaging for a very, very substantial number of women."

She suggested the Conservatives should also be prepared to "come clean" about who benefits and loses out as a result of its policies.

The Labour frontbencher added: "The Chancellor in the Autumn Statement has been forced, under pressure from our side of the House, to make some changes to his plans.

"But the cuts to tax credits are not abandoned, they've just been delayed. The same savings will still be made elsewhere in the system and women will still lose out.

"Women will be hit three times as hard as men by the cuts in this year's summer Budget and this year's Autumn Statement, according to analysis commissioned by (Labour former minister Yvette Cooper) by the House of Commons library.

"That's three times as hard in six short months in just two spending announcements, because many of the Chancellor's policies that are so inimical to the interests of women remain very firmly in place."

Labour's Rupa Huq (Ealing Central and Acton) said of Prime Minister David Cameron and the Conservatives: "Just as he once forgot his daughter in a pub, they seem to have forgotten about equality for women."

The Opposition also raised concerns over the decision to increase the state pension age, adding protections were lacking for women.

Labour's Barbara Keeley (Worsley and Eccles South) said former Liberal Democrat pensions minister Steve Webb has "admitted" the coalition made a "bad decision over these increases in state pension age equalisation".

She said: "He made the excuse his department had not been properly briefed and he went into crisis talks with the Prime Minister and Chancellor to try and claw the billions back.

"Those women are suffering because of that mistake and that departmental failure."

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