High Court rules that Tory policy causing “real misery” for “no good purpose”
Gavin Newlands, SNP MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North, has called on the UK Government to abandon their harmful welfare polices following the High Court’s ruling, which found the UK Tory Government is causing ‘real misery’ for ‘no good purpose’.
The High Court ruling found that applying the benefit cap to lone parents with children under two is unlawful and discriminatory, after a judicial review brought by four lone parent families.
The revised benefit cap, introduced by the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016, drastically reduced housing benefits, leaving lone parent families across the country unable to afford basic life necessities to care for their children.
Mr Justice Collins has ruled that the application of the revised benefit cap to lone parents with children under two amounts to unlawful discrimination and that “real damage” is being caused to the Claimants and families like theirs across the country.
Gavin Newlands, SNP MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North, said:
“This Tory UK Government have known from day one that their harmful austerity agenda would cause real harm to those in society who need help the most.
“Theresa May and her government should be ashamed. Their obsession with making low-income families bear the burden of austerity is having a real human cost – and for no good reason.
“This High Court ruling highlights that the Tories are just as nasty as they’ve ever been – no PR makeover can hide the fact that their austerity-driven policies are causing real damage to individuals and families. The Tories need to accept this ruling and finally abandon their austerity agenda.”
