Anne Snelgrove: Now that Robert Buckland has been promoted to a minister he seems to have lost his moral compass

Now that Robert Buckland has been promoted to a minister he seems to have lost his moral compass. When he was a backbencher, he went missing when there were votes condemning the Bedroom Tax. Now that he's a minister, he's doing the Tory Government's bidding by voting down sensible measures that would stop disabled people and families with children being unfairly penalised.

Anne Snelgrove, Labour's parliamentary candidate for South Swindon, responding to today's Affordable Homes private member bill vote, in which Robert Buckland MP voted against exempting some households from the bedroom tax, said:

“Now that Robert Buckland has been promoted to a minister he seems to have lost his moral compass. When he was a backbencher, he went missing when there were votes condemning the Bedroom Tax. Now that he's a minister, he's doing the Tory Government's bidding by voting down sensible measures that would stop disabled people and families with children being unfairly penalised.

"Disabled people in Swindon have been moved from specially adapted homes due to the bedroom tax, causing great distress to them and extra expense to the council which has to adapt the new home they move into. There is no evidence the bedroom tax is saving money but a great deal of evidence that it is creating great hardship for vulnerable people.

"Labour would scrap the bedroom tax because it is unfair and costs more money than it saves. Robert Buckland has shown his true colours by voting to support the Bedroom Tax today.”