We cannot abandon women to vile Tory rape clause
I’M struggling to find the words to respond to Esther McVey’s extraordinary comments in defence of the rape clause yesterday.
Shock? Well, the Tories’ callousness in government should no longer shock us, even though this has plumbed new depths.
Anger? I’ve been furious ever since the Conservatives announced plans to introduce this vile policy.
Despair? That won’t do anything for the women affected.
This is a policy, lest we forget, which forces women across the UK who have conceived a child as a result of rape to fill out an eight-page form to claim tax credits if it’s the woman’s third child.
In a letter she wrote to me earlier this year, Ms McVey claimed the clause “strikes the right balance”. Now she has told MSPs it offers “double support” to women.
So I think the word I would use is “determined”. Absolutely determined to continue fighting to end the rape clause. Ms McVey and other Tories including Ruth Davidson are unashamed about defending one of the most abhorrent policies of a government in my adult lifetime.
I know how many SNP supporters will respond to my comments today – they’ll condemn me for not supporting independence to get rid of the Tories. Well, I’m not prepared to abandon the survivors of rape in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to the Tories.
I’m determined to continue campaigning for a Labour government across the entire United Kingdom so that a Labour government ends the rape clause.