26 November 2009
The Conservatives have launched a save DLA and AA campaign within days of the Benefits and Work campaign ending, leading to labour accusations of ‘scaremongering’ and ‘gutter politics’.
The campaign is being run under the slogan ‘Protecting Britain’s Pensioners’ and is featured on the home page of the Conservative party website. The party has also paid for Google ads about the campaign to be shown when people search for terms such as ‘disability living allowance’.
Visitors to the Tory site are told that ‘Labour want to cut Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance for over 65s, wrecking their chances of living independently.’ The proposed cuts are condemned as ‘unwise, unfair, and unkind’.
Visitors are urged to sign a tory party petition as well as the No 10 petition and to contact their MP and ask them to oppose the cuts.
Health secretary Andy Burnham claimed that tory accusations were ‘disgraceful scaremongering’ and added that ‘“It is gutter politics to raise concerns amongst the most vulnerable people in society that their benefits will be cut.”
Meanwhile, the liberal democrats remain silent on this issue, with Steve Webb - their shadow DWP spokesperson - giving every impression of having lost interest in the whole issue of benefits for disabled people.
You can visit the Tory campaign page.
