Simon Hughes speaks out against the benefit cap

In the Cameroon effort to redefine the politics of fairness, the benefit cap of £26,000 a year is key. When George Osborne announced it in his 2010 conference speech, he explained it – rightly – as a matter of fairness that ‘no family on out-of-work benefits will get more than the average family gets by going out to work’.
 
The Tories were also aware of just how potent a wedge issue it would be. If Labour opposed the cap, they would be in favour of some households in which no one is working receiving more from the state than the average salary people achieve by working. This is, to put it mildly, not a position that would go down well on the doorsteps.
 
But the cap has hit a snag: Simon Hughes. The Lib Dem deputy leader is, The Guardian reports, saying that he is in favour of a cap in principle but that it is currently set at the wrong level, which is the same position Labour is taking. Hughes is even claiming that it will ‘break up families’.
 
It’ll be fascinating to see how the coalition handles this disagreement. The Tories will be extremely reluctant to give ground on this. But the Lib Dems will be reluctant to have Hughes, seen by many as the left-wing conscience of the party, in opposition to one of the government’s major measures.