Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

George Osborne laughs with Michael Gove while being asked to apologise to disabled people for PIP cuts

Chancellor seen joking while fellow Cabinet member played with his phone

Jon Stone
Tuesday 22 March 2016 16:59 GMT
Comments
Osborne laughs as McDonnell asks him to apologise

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

George Osborne ignored a call to apologise to disabled people for rolling out and then cancelling cuts to a key disability benefit, choosing instead to chat and laugh with Michael Gove.

Labour's shadow Chancellor John McDonnell asked the Chancellor to apologise for the "pain" he had caused the group over the last two weeks.

"Apologise for the pain and anguish he's caused disabled people and their families for the last two weeks. When you make a mistake and you correct it as least you should apologise," the Labour MP said.

But Mr Osborne could be seen entirely ignoring Mr McDonnell on the benches opposite, apparently preferring to swap jokes with Mr Gove while the justice minister tapped away on his phone.

The Chancellor had planned to save £4.4 billion by 2020 by cutting payments to people who use specially adapted applianced.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies says this cut would have seen 370,000 disabled people lose an average of £3,500 a year.

The Chancellor however U-turned after a blistering attack on the policy by former Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in