Mayor of Hackney Jules Pipe has accused the Conservative Party of supporting the mass deportation of the poor from rich boroughs such as Kensington and Chelsea to poorer boroughs like Enfield and Hackney.
In a speech criticising the forthcoming benefits overhaul, Mr Pipe warned that the Government’s policies are forcing the poor into London’s underprivileged areas.
“Rich western boroughs have been praised for their reduction in housing allowance claimants. Westminster has seen a fall of 16 per cent and Kensington and Chelsea a fall of 27 per cent.
“But poorer ones like Enfield and Newham which have seen claimants rise by 27 and 37 per cent have felt the brunt of this evil government’s policy of social cleansing.”
The conflict stems from work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith’s welfare bill which will see housing benefits rise only by inflation – as opposed to rent inflation – leaving claimants worse off and unable to afford their rent.
Meanwhile, Labour MP Diane Abbott was aggressively heckled by a group of constituents who blame her for the massive influx of immigrants under New Labour, which they say caused the welfare bill to balloon.
The protesters shouted: “You’re lying, we want you out!” Before they were forced out by security.
Defending her party’s immigration policy before they were ousted in the 2010 general election, Abbott said: “I am tired of hearing that immigrants are a drain on the public sector. Think about the make-up of the public sector here in Hackney. Without immigrants there would be no public services in London.”
Hackney Community Law Centre’s Wendy Pettifer said: “The difficulties people are finding with the benefits system cannot just be blamed on the Conservatives, Labour’s Yvette Cooper began the welfare reforms and we shouldn’t forget that.”
