Points of Order

Jonathan Ashworth Excerpts

Thursday 24th March 2022 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I thank the hon. Member for her point of order and for giving me advance notice of it. It is disappointing that the Secretary of State has not confirmed his promised meeting with her. I am sure that he will want to correct that as he is a right hon. Gentleman. The hon. Member has put her frustration about this on record and I hope that Members on the Treasury Bench will have noted her comments and that a meeting can now be arranged promptly.

[Jonathan Ashworth (Leicester South) (Lab/Co-op)]

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I am sure that you will have seen overnight the analysis that, thanks to the Chancellor’s cuts to universal credit, his real-terms cuts to disability benefits, and his real-terms cuts to the state pension and other measures, an extra 1.3 million people, including pensioners and 500,000 children, will be pushed into absolute poverty. Can you advise me, Mr Speaker, whether the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has given you any indication that she will come to this House and provide an analysis of constituency data for Members, of the increased number of pensioners and children who will go into poverty, or should we assume that rising child and pensioner poverty for this Government is considered a price worth paying?

[Mr Speaker]

I can assure the right hon. Gentleman that I have not been notified of a statement coming forward, but I notice that the Leader of the House is in his place and he could well be the messenger to convey the hon. Member’s point to Government.

Royal Assent