Jean Lambert, the Green MEP for London and local Waltham Forest resident, will speak out against the “savage cuts” to public spending at a rally in Stratford tonight [1].

Jean, a former teacher, said: “This week we have seen the Conservatives continue their war against the so-called “idle”, with caps on family welfare benefits and housing benefits announced at conference to rapturous applause.

“This war ignores the fact that the majority of people on benefits do not chose to “live off the state”, they are forced their by circumstance. However, by perpetuating the myth that all those on benefits have made a lifestyle choice, the coalition government has manufactured a mandate to target the poor to pay for the mistakes of the rich.

“Yesterday, David Cameron spoke of his vision for a “fairer Britain”. Savage cuts will not achieve this; they will only serve to hit the most vulnerable the hardest and widen inequality. Only through readdressing the UK’s chronically imbalanced tax system can we begin to tackle inequality. We need an effective welfare state to lift people out of poverty, not cuts to keep them there.”

Imran Khan, a Newham resident and civil rights lawyer who will also be speaking at the event, added: “The cuts are unnecessary, unfair, and unjust. Opposition across the country is mounting, the Government has no mandate, the majority of people did not vote for this.”

Notes to Editors

[1] The East London Rally for Change takes place at Stratford Circus, Theatre Square, London, on Thursday, 7 October, at 7-9pm. Further speakers include trade union leader Bob Crow, executive member of the National Union of Teacher’s Alex Kenny and Junaid Ahmed of the London Muslim Centre. The public meeting will be chaired by local resident Rachel Newton.