Cameron backs Osborne in benefits row, insisting case of arson dad Mick Philpott DOES raise questions about welfare becoming a 'lifestyle choice
David Cameron today weighed into the bitter row over linking the Mick Philpott arson case to the need to overhaul Britain's troubled benefits system.
The Prime Minister backed Chancellor George Osborne for suggesting the tragic case raised questions about the way some people come to rely on state handouts.
Mr Cameron insisted Philpott, jailed this week for starting a fire which killed six of his children, was to blame for his crimes but argued that welfare must not be seen as a 'lifestyle choice'.
The political row over the Philpott case erupted after the Daily Mail pointed out that the dad-of-17 was a product of the benefits system.
Yesterday Mr Osborne said there needed to be a debate 'for government and for society about the welfare state'.
It provoked a storm of outrage from the Left, accusing the Chancellor of 'demeaning' his office.
But today he received the defiant backing of Mr Cameron, who said Mr Osborne was 'absolutely right'.
The Prime Minister added: 'He [Mr Osborne] said the Mr Philpott was the one to blame for his crimes, that he should be held responsible; but what the Chancellor went on to say was that we should ask some wider questions about our welfare system, how much it costs and the signals that it sends.
'And we do want to make clear that welfare is there to help people who work hard, it shouldn’t be there as a sort of lifestyle choice, and I think that’s entirely legitimate.'
Mr Osborne attracted howls of outrage
last night simply for pointing out that the appalling case strengthened
the need for welfare reform.
In an extraordinary reaction from Labour, the Chancellor was described as a ‘disgrace’ for making his comments on the day that father-of-17 Philpott, his wife Mairead and accomplice Paul Mosley were jailed for burning the couple’s six children to death.
All polls
The jury at Nottingham Crown Court
had heard that one of the motivations for Philpott’s sickening crimes
was his desire to get his hands on the benefits money which vanished
when his live-in lover left with their five children.
The subsequent row over whether the welfare system lies at the heart of the appalling case has dominated radio phone-ins and internet message boards all week.
Mr Osborne made his comments during a visit to the Philpotts’ home city of Derby, where he was asked if the couple were a product of the benefits system.
He replied: ‘Philpott is responsible for these absolutely horrendous crimes, that have shocked the nation. 'The courts are responsible for sentencing.
‘But I think there is a question for
government and for society about the welfare state, and the taxpayers
who pay for the welfare state, subsidising lifestyles like that.
'And I think that debate needs to be had.’
The Chancellor has led the Government’s defence of changes in the welfare system and this week accused opponents of talking ‘ill-informed rubbish’.
In the face of growing pressure from churches, charities and opposition parties, Mr Osborne said suggestions that the changes marked the end of the welfare state were ‘shrill, headline-seeking nonsense’.
Within hours of his remarks about Philpott, he faced a backlash from Left-wingers who accused him of ‘cynically’ exploiting the tragedy to push the Government’s case for cuts to handouts.
Senior Tories said the reaction of the Opposition is proof that it still fails to grasp the depth of public fury at the way some have abused the benefits system.
The prosecution presented evidence that Philpott hatched the plot to burn down his house when his mistress Lisa Willis decided to flee their home, taking with her £1,000 a month in benefit payments.
That move was described as the ‘catalyst for everything that was to follow’.
Despite this, Mr Osborne’s intervention sparked an extraordinary reaction. Shadow health spokesman Jamie Reed tweeted: ‘Just seen Osborne’s comments. What a sickening figure he is. Utterly beneath contempt. Not fit to hold public office.’
Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls said Mr Osborne was ‘cynical’ and ‘desperate’ but offered no ideas about how Labour would combat the soaring welfare bill.
He said: ‘A Chancellor has to think very carefully before they comment on the issues of the day. How they do so says a lot about the character of their Chancellorship.
‘That is why I believe George Osborne’s calculated decision to use the shocking and vile crimes of Mick Philpott to advance a political argument is the cynical act of a desperate Chancellor.
‘We should have a proper debate about welfare reform. But for the Chancellor to link this wider debate to this shocking crime is nasty and divisive and demeans his office.’
The reaction from the opposition front bench was condemned by Labour activist and blogger Dan Hodges, who said Mr Balls had ‘plunged’ into a trap set by the Tories.
‘Labour’s strategy on Philpott and welfare is suicidal,’ he said. ‘The Tories want lots of stories tomorrow that have the phrases “Mick Philpott”, “Welfare”, and “Labour defends welfare”. They’re going to get them.
‘You don’t need to be a master strategist to make a monkey of the Labour Party on the issue of welfare. Labour should back a welfare freeze, in the same way it backs a freeze in public sector wages.’
Mr Hodges added that on Philpott Labour should say: ‘We’re not commenting. This is a terrible tragedy, our thoughts are with the victims.’
The Prime Minister backed Chancellor George Osborne for suggesting the tragic case raised questions about the way some people come to rely on state handouts.
Mr Cameron insisted Philpott, jailed this week for starting a fire which killed six of his children, was to blame for his crimes but argued that welfare must not be seen as a 'lifestyle choice'.
The political row over the Philpott case erupted after the Daily Mail pointed out that the dad-of-17 was a product of the benefits system.
Yesterday Mr Osborne said there needed to be a debate 'for government and for society about the welfare state'.
It provoked a storm of outrage from the Left, accusing the Chancellor of 'demeaning' his office.
But today he received the defiant backing of Mr Cameron, who said Mr Osborne was 'absolutely right'.
The Prime Minister added: 'He [Mr Osborne] said the Mr Philpott was the one to blame for his crimes, that he should be held responsible; but what the Chancellor went on to say was that we should ask some wider questions about our welfare system, how much it costs and the signals that it sends.
'And we do want to make clear that welfare is there to help people who work hard, it shouldn’t be there as a sort of lifestyle choice, and I think that’s entirely legitimate.'
Scroll down for video
'Why are we funding lifestyles like that?'
Chancellor George Osborne has linked the case of jobless father-of-17
Mick Philpott (right), who was jailed for life for killing six of his
children in a house fire, to the need for reform of the benefits system
Scrounger: Mick Philpott (pictured with his wife
Mairead, centre, his mother Peggy, right, and sons Jesse, right in
green, and John, far right) claimed thousands of pounds in benefit and
refused to get a job
In an extraordinary reaction from Labour, the Chancellor was described as a ‘disgrace’ for making his comments on the day that father-of-17 Philpott, his wife Mairead and accomplice Paul Mosley were jailed for burning the couple’s six children to death.
TODAY'S POLL
The subsequent row over whether the welfare system lies at the heart of the appalling case has dominated radio phone-ins and internet message boards all week.
Mr Osborne made his comments during a visit to the Philpotts’ home city of Derby, where he was asked if the couple were a product of the benefits system.
He replied: ‘Philpott is responsible for these absolutely horrendous crimes, that have shocked the nation. 'The courts are responsible for sentencing.
Shameless: Former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe,
who filmed a documentary about Philpott's lifestyle, said she was
appalled by a state system which allowed a man to live in this way
Hated by the nation: Mick Philpott's infamous
appearance on the Jeremy Kyle Show in 2009 when he was roundly
criticised for demanding a bigger council house for his expanding brood
Front-page news: Yesterday's Daily Mail on Philpott's conviction
'And I think that debate needs to be had.’
The Chancellor has led the Government’s defence of changes in the welfare system and this week accused opponents of talking ‘ill-informed rubbish’.
In the face of growing pressure from churches, charities and opposition parties, Mr Osborne said suggestions that the changes marked the end of the welfare state were ‘shrill, headline-seeking nonsense’.
Within hours of his remarks about Philpott, he faced a backlash from Left-wingers who accused him of ‘cynically’ exploiting the tragedy to push the Government’s case for cuts to handouts.
Senior Tories said the reaction of the Opposition is proof that it still fails to grasp the depth of public fury at the way some have abused the benefits system.
The prosecution presented evidence that Philpott hatched the plot to burn down his house when his mistress Lisa Willis decided to flee their home, taking with her £1,000 a month in benefit payments.
On the attack: Labour's Dame Anne Begg and
Shadow work and pensions minister Stephen Timms have accused Osborne of
acting 'cynically'
Despite this, Mr Osborne’s intervention sparked an extraordinary reaction. Shadow health spokesman Jamie Reed tweeted: ‘Just seen Osborne’s comments. What a sickening figure he is. Utterly beneath contempt. Not fit to hold public office.’
Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls said Mr Osborne was ‘cynical’ and ‘desperate’ but offered no ideas about how Labour would combat the soaring welfare bill.
He said: ‘A Chancellor has to think very carefully before they comment on the issues of the day. How they do so says a lot about the character of their Chancellorship.
‘That is why I believe George Osborne’s calculated decision to use the shocking and vile crimes of Mick Philpott to advance a political argument is the cynical act of a desperate Chancellor.
‘We should have a proper debate about welfare reform. But for the Chancellor to link this wider debate to this shocking crime is nasty and divisive and demeans his office.’
The reaction from the opposition front bench was condemned by Labour activist and blogger Dan Hodges, who said Mr Balls had ‘plunged’ into a trap set by the Tories.
‘Labour’s strategy on Philpott and welfare is suicidal,’ he said. ‘The Tories want lots of stories tomorrow that have the phrases “Mick Philpott”, “Welfare”, and “Labour defends welfare”. They’re going to get them.
‘You don’t need to be a master strategist to make a monkey of the Labour Party on the issue of welfare. Labour should back a welfare freeze, in the same way it backs a freeze in public sector wages.’
Mr Hodges added that on Philpott Labour should say: ‘We’re not commenting. This is a terrible tragedy, our thoughts are with the victims.’