Labour today accused the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats of forming a “coalition of cuts for kids”, as the parties sought to turn the focus of the general election campaign away from speculation over a hung parliament and back onto policy.
Senior ministers launched Labour’s families manifesto with a warning that both the other parties would cut child tax credits and Child Trust Funds, while Tories would impose a “top-up fee” for toddlers in nurseries.
Separately, Conservative leader David Cameron was delivering a keynote speech in London on the perils of what he calls the “broken society”.
And the Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg will later today address the Royal College of Nursing annual conference in Bournemouth on the need to protect NHS services.
In an election broadcast last night, Conservatives warned of the danger of a hung Parliament keeping Gordon Brown in power, as polls showed the contest for the May 6th poll remained a three-horse race.
But Labour campaign chief Lord Mandelson this morning said voters should be aware of a “clear overlap of policy between Conservatives and Liberal Democrats” which might see Mr Clegg leaning towards coalition with Tories.
The Liberal Democrats leader’s recent comments about who he could work with in a hung Parliament appeared “slightly arrogant and started to exude the kind of entitlement that we have associated with Mr Cameron and George Osborne”, said Lord Mandelson.
But Mr Clegg insisted he was not trying to usurp the role of voters, telling BBC Radio 5 Live: “I am not the kingmaker, David Cameron is not the kingmaker, Gordon Brown is not the kingmaker, there are 45 million people who have still got to choose and I am not going to short circuit that. It is simply not for any politician to do that.”
Mr Clegg, who has indicated he would not be willing to prop up Mr Brown if Labour finished third in the popular vote, declined to say whether he could work with Home Secretary Alan Johnson: “What interests me is not the personalities, it is not the personal likes and dislikes... I am prepared to work with anybody who shares my view.”
Unveiling the families manifesto at a press conference in London, Lord Mandelson said: “Both Tories and Liberal Democrats are clear about their plans to cut support for families with children... an agreed platform to hit Britain’s families hard, a shared agenda that we in the Labour Party will fight all the way.”
Work and Pensions Secretary Yvette Cooper branded Conservative policies on the family “irresponsible, unfair and out-of-date”, arguing that many of the beneficiaries of Tory tax breaks for marriage would be couples without children.
PA