A SENIOR Labour figure has been panned for his “depressing” interview on the BBC’s flagship political show on Sunday morning.
It comes following the news that Keir Starmer is to set out a new “plan for change” with milestones to be set in key policy areas.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden appeared on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, hosted by Victoria Derbyshire this week, to discuss the plans.
Specifically, the host pressed McFadden on the Government’s decision not to reverse the two-child benefit cap.
Replying, McFadden said: “Well look we’ve got a child poverty taskforce looking at this. That will report next year.
“Child poverty is really important to us. Like everything else, we are going to have to prioritise what we do in terms of the public finances available to us.”
At this point, Derbyshire interjected to say that children in poverty would have to wait before receiving help.
Pat McFadden: "Child poverty is really important to us" "Overnight, according to the resolution Foundation, [ending the two child limit] would take 490,000 kids out of poverty" McFadden "We didn't promise that at the election" So child poverty isn't really important to you. pic.twitter.com/1SvGabreQh
— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) December 1, 2024
McFadden replied: “We’ve got this report coming next year. We’re ambitious to resolve child poverty.
“I can’t make announcements on benefit changes today.”
Derbyshire then put it to the Labour minister that it could already have been changed and that figures from the Resolution Foundation suggested it would lift 490,000 children out of poverty.
McFadden said: “Well we didn’t promise that at the election, what we’re doing this week is putting into practice the things we did promise in the election.
“It’s important that a government does that. We’ll have the report on the child poverty taskforce next year and we’ll act on it then.”
Reacting to the interview on Twitter/X, SNP MP and the party’s deputy Westminster leader Pete Wishart said: “What a depressing listen from Pat McFadden. This Starmer ‘relaunch’ won’t address the two-child benefit cap, the absurd and economy destroying hard Brexit, the mistakes around the Budget.
“He’d be as well just staying at home.”
Derbyshire also pressed McFadden on reports in The Sunday Times that ministers were preparing a deal with Brussels to allow more EU students into the UK.
Asked if he could confirm this, McFadden said: “No I can’t because this question gets raised all the time.
“What we want to see with the EU is more of a normal relationship. We’re not going to re-run the Brexit argument.
“We think we can do better than the Boris Johnson deal in terms of economic and trade links.”
Asked if allowing more EU students into the UK was something the Government could do better, McFadden replied that he didn’t think the question of a “youth mobility scheme” would be part of any discussions.
However, he pledged to make sure trade relationships were “better than they’ve been in the past”.
McFadden also refused to be drawn on the resignation of Louise Haigh – who stepped down as transport secretary earlier after it emerged she pleaded guilty to a criminal offence.
He told the BBC he didn’t know “who said what to who at the end of last week” which led to the resignation.
However, he did say he “regretted” she had to leave as he felt she was doing a “good job”.
