Budget will be remembered for abandoned child poverty target and gimmicks for elderly - Alexander

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 13th Mar 2008

Commenting on proposals relating to child poverty and the Winter Fuel Allowance in today's Budget, Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Danny Alexander said:

"This Budget will be remembered as the day the Government abandoned its target to halve child poverty, and tried to hide the long-term plight of pensioners in fuel poverty with a one-off gimmick. By investing less than a third of what is necessary to halve child poverty, the Government has effectively given up on its 2010 target.Children in the poorest families will have to wait until next year for even the small scale and highly complex changes announced today to take effect."

"A one-off increase in the Winter Fuel Allowance is a short-term palliative, but the Government has missed the chance for a sustainable attack on fuel poverty using the windfall profits of energy companies.Labour has abandoned poor and vulnerable families with a budget designed to appease the rich."