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Labour planned to end the Educational Maintenance Allowance

Tim Montgomerie

GIBB NICK We know that Alistair Darling had plans to raise VAT but Nick Gibb MP, Education Minister, has pointed out that Labour also had plans to end Education Maintenance Allowances.

In a 2007 Green Paper from the Department for Education and Skills you can find this nugget:

“We think that EMA should continue until compulsory participation is introduced in 2013. After that, we propose that financial support will need to be restructured.” 

That is exactly what the Coalition is doing.

Nick Gibb commented:

"It now emerges that, despite what they've been saying to students, Labour also used to think EMA should be restructured along the lines we are proposing. Labour need to accept the responsibility for the state of the public finances and take a less opportunistic approach to opposition."

Labour have acted opportunistically ever since they arrived in opposition. They've taken no responsibility for the economic mess they left behind. It's no good Labour blaming the world recession. Britain went into the recession in debt because Gordon Brown had let spending grow recklessly throughout the years of plenty.

Even now they aren't levelling with the public. Ed Miliband's only answer to the deficit is another tax on banks. Some will support him in that plan but he can't use it more than once. On various occasions the Labour leader has said that he will use a bank tax to repay the deficit, restore the Future Jobs Fund, reverse the restrictions on child benefit, cut VAT and enhance tax credits. It's an economic policy that would shame the worst second hand car salesman.

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