Phi Wire Hand Picked Politics - Live

  • Mike Smithson | Now some polling news to cheer the blue team up

    • source icon
    • 07:02
    • PoliticalBetting

  • Conservative Home | At last, the prospect of getting some taxpayers' money back for our bank stake

    • source icon
    • 06:14
    • ToryDiary

  • Martin Parsons | Dr Martin Parsons: Obama's folly - why the west cannot negotiate with the Taliba...

    • source icon
    • 05:31
    • ConservativeHome Platfo...

  • NHS regulation: never again, again | Editorial

    • source icon
    • 23:03
    • Comment is Free

  • Mervyn King: goodbye to the governor | Editorial

    • source icon
    • 22:51
    • Comment is Free

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

  • PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers

    • Sign up to see last 24 hours

PoliticsHome. All Todays Politics In One Place

Story Tracker

Select Story:

Pickles defends tax credit change

Pickles defends tax credit change
Eric Pickles has defended the Government’s plans to cut child tax credits for middle income families, saying dependency had got “further up the economic ladder” than intended.

His comments, made on Sky News’ Murnaghan show, come ahead of the end of tax breaks for parents earning over £50,000.

“It does seem to me that it is a sensible thing to do – I do accept that dependency has got further up the economic ladder, but I do think that where the state is offering substantial help, that should be to the poorest.”

The Communities Secretary's comments come after a new report warned the rising cost of childcare means it is not worth many ‘second earners’ in lower income families to work full-time.

The Resolution Foundation paper to be released this week, reported in the Observer, finds if the second earner takes a job on the minimum wage, childcare costs mean the family can be just £4 a week better off.

Shadow Education Secretary Stephen Twigg has revealed Labour wants to see more co-operative nurseries, which he says could reduce the cost of childcare by £150 a year.

Related News

Green Box: Pickles defends tax credit changeClick to open

+ Expand all - Collapse all

Recommended External Links

Full access for £22 a month...

PoliticsHome PRO Find out more

Latest PRO Content

Free Trial

On Air

Summaries and transcripts from TV and radio

Christine Blower: Schools should help each other to improve standards not a cohort of teachers

10 minutes ago on Breakfast, BBC 5live

Sir Michael Wilshaw: Schools must demonstrate their poorest pupils aren't left behind

36 minutes ago on Today, BBC Radio 4

Jamie Reed: No evidence of cost relationship between CQC and Labour's DoH

19/06/2013 on Newsnight, BBC2

See all On Air

Commons Reports

Jeremy Hunt: Morecambe shows we must transform patient care in NHS

19/06/2013

Transcript

Jeremy Hunt's Oral Statement on Morcambe Bay and CQC revelations

19/06/2013

See all Transcripts

Press Releases

Angus Robertson MP comments on Hague speech

6 hours ago

See all Press Releases

Lobby Briefings

No 10: CQC revelations are appalling

19/06/2013

See all Lobby Briefings