BBC Question Time sees Tory voter gets tearful about having benefits cut

Mother-of-four and ex-Tory voter Michelle Dorrell, 35, confronted squirming Energy Secretary Amber Rudd about the welfare cut on TV.

But she would not commit, simply stating that Labour does not want the cuts to go ahead.

But critics point out the tax credits cuts come into force in April, years before families might benefit from other measures.

“It is a work penalty”.

“George Osborne and David Cameron have tried to spin and deceive the public that these cuts won’t hurt working people and their families”.

And nursery manager Kelly Ward, 39, who has a 13-year-old disabled son, told the Mirror she was “genuinely terrified” about the effects of April’s cuts.

Labour has called a debate on tax credits to take place during its opposition day next week.

Ms Malhotra said she believes her party could win that vote. “I very much hope that we can”.

But Tory MPs said the campaign against the proposals “has only just started” and already a “grand coalition”, including 20 Conservative MPs, are poised to rebel. 

Meanwhile, Labour has claimed the changes to tax credits could put 71 Tory MPs at risk of losing their seats because of the unpopularity of the policy.

She said 71 Tory MPs had seats “where their majorities are less than the number of hard-working families who are likely to be affected by this”.

“We have voted against the tax credits and we are constructing a fiscal mandate which will not involve those cuts to tax credits”.

On a news programme, David Cameron said: “We are moving to an economy where you get paid more and where you pay less in tax, rather than paying more in tax and getting the money back in tax credits”.

“If we’re going to tackle the overall welfare budget and try to move us away from being a high welfare country to a low welfare country, then this is something we have to look at”.

Former worldwide development secretary Andrew Mitchell denied the Government was “penalising” the working poor, and said the tax credit system was “out of control”. They include Sir Roger Gale, the veteran Tory MP who voted down plans to relax Sunday trading when they were first proposed by Margaret Thatcher in the Eighties. These MPs face a clear choice on Tuesday – they can either join the many families and charities speaking out about these unfair cuts or vote to give thousands in their constituency a cut in household income of an average of £1300.

“But I think it is the right reform to make and we must ensure that overall there are as few losers as possible”.

Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb insisted people’s “circumstances are changing for the better”.

“Poverty has fallen in the last five years”. Hard working families who are set to be affected will be watching.