James Forsyth James Forsyth

Are Labour wedded to stealing every Tory idea?

Andy Burnham saying that “marriage is best for kids” and that it is “not wrong that the tax system should recognise commitment and marriage” is a victory for common sense. But it is also another example of the Brown government’s cynical opportunism and lack of any new ideas. As recently as the Labour conference, Gordon Brown was quoting scripture to suggest that the Tory commitment to encouraging marriage through the tax system was somehow un-Christian. While Harriet Harman, Brown’s deputy, lashed out at David Cameron for his pro-marriage policies, arguing that,

“Cameron’s new tax allowance proposal would squander public money on those who need it least and carry the unmistakable message to children of separated couples – “There’s something wrong with your family so there’s something wrong with you.” And just as this “message on marriage” will give no help to my constituents in Camberwell and Peckham, nor will it help any Tory MPs who, like so many others, find that their marriages aren’t working out.

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