PoliticsHome | Only the latest five entries on the PhiWire are visible to non-subscribers
- Sign up to see last 24 hours
News, gossip and insight from PoliticsHome Editor Paul Waugh
Tuesday 19th March 2013 | 11:16
ChildCare rebuttal button
The Treasury has been keen to trumpet its childcare tax breaks today.
It even has a nice, handy Q&A section on its website for parents wondering about the scheme.
But has an over-eager spinner at HMT blundered in also putting up a 'Key Rebuttals' section too? This appears at the bottom of what looks like an otherwise normal Q&A exercise.
In a list of items that would fit more in a CCHQ press briefing, the website states a list of 'lines to take' on everything from migrants to 'is the Universal Credits decision a U-turn?' Clearly worried about a backlash from Tory MPs, it even defensively suggests working parents are in 'greater need' than stay-at-home mums. Watch that one fly.
I've taken a screengrab in case it's pulled down anytime soon. Check it out:
UPDATE: Looks like it was a mistake after all. Yes, HMT have now pulled the above item from their website. Thank God for screengrabs huh?
No.10 compounded the perception on stay-at-home mums by saying the childcare measures were about helping those who 'want to work hard and get on' (prompted by a question asked by the Telegraph's Peter Dominiczak at lobby). My Twitter timeline has gone mental with both Mail and Guardian-reading stay-at-home mums warning that they don't like that, or being told working parents are in need of 'greater support'
Related News
November 2010