Put To Bed

Nigel Nelson writes:

Ed Miliband has decided to pledge that a Labour government WILL bury the hated Bedroom Tax.

In a sensational victory for the Sunday People’s campaign, the Labour leader could unveil his plan as early as this month in his Brighton conference speech.

But some top Labour figures are urging him to keep his ­powder dry and use the abolition like a rabbit out of the hat at the height of the 2015 General Election campaign.

A senior source in the party said: “The Sunday People has run a tremendous campaign.

“Labour WILL repeal the Bedroom Tax. The only question remaining is when.

“But the sooner it’s ­buried, the better. It’s not just cruel and inhumane in impact but it’s ­turning out to be the economics of the madhouse.” 

Shadow ­chancellor Ed Balls has been resisting any promise to reverse the housing benefit rule which costs tenants an average £12 a week for an extra bedroom.

Mr Balls feared he would have to find an extra £490million to pay for it. But new figures show the measure will make the ­benefit bill go UP by ­£1.5billion because its victims will be forced into the private sector.

Even though their homes will have fewer bedrooms they’ll get more housing allowances ­because rents will be higher.

There are 5,072,264 people in the UK claiming housing benefit, up 40,000 on last year.

A TUC source said: “If Labour wants to make itself useful it should pledge now to scrap the Bedroom Tax rather than wait until 2015.

“That would hopefully ­encourage many landlords to hold off evictions, knowing that a Labour ­government will axe the tax and the associated ­financial losses.”

And Labour MPs say that the move would unite the party by pleasing those on both its left and right wings.

Also unions say it will be ­easier to get activists to campaign for Labour if they know they will be definitely crusading for the end of the reviled Bedroom Tax.