The New Dark Age

27 June 2015 — 38 Degrees

30,000 of us – and rising – are working together to stop David Cameron taking money away from some of the poorest children in the country. Please will you add your name to the petition against his cuts to child tax credit?

Here’s why some other 38 Degrees members have signed the petition:

• “My dad died when I was five years old. My brother and I saw my mum struggle. I am now 61 years old. Please don’t turn back the clock” – Janet
• “When I was a single parent, child tax credits were the difference between feeding my family and going hungry” – Linzi
• “It doesn’t feel like you can say the country is doing well and growing in prosperity if hard-working people are struggling to afford to eat” – Lee
• “The government needs to look at putting wages up before they start cutting this support” – Judi
• “I work full time to support my two children on my own. If we lose child tax credits, we’ll struggle even more than we already are” – Tracey

Click here to sign the petition now:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/child-tax-credit

And in case you missed it, here’s the earlier email:

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George Osborne is planning to cut support for children living in the poorest families in the UK. [1]

If the cut goes ahead, it would take away the special help that gives these children the chance of a happy and healthy childhood. It pays for essentials like healthy food and school uniforms.

With only weeks until Osborne makes this official, we have a chance to force him to cancel this cruel cut. The government is split over the decision – so a huge outcry now could make sure they scrap the plans for good. [2] Can you sign the petition now?

All children deserve to start life on an equal footing. But low wages mean that some families in the UK still struggle to put food on the table or buy school uniforms that fit. [3]

And Osborne’s cuts would make things even harder. Experts say that “child poverty would rise sharply as a result”. [4]

The support – known as child tax credits – means that thousands of children don’t have to experience poverty at the start of their lives. It’s only available to families on low incomes, so these cuts would affect the poorest children in the country.

Azure, a 38 Degrees member, would be affected by the cuts. She says, “My wages are low and we rely on tax credits to put food on the tableand pay for essential clothing for my son.”

It could be officially announced in early July, so we need to act fast if we’re going to stop it. Please can you add your name today?

38 Degrees members have a proud history of standing up for fairness, compassion and decency. Two years ago, thousands of us piled into the campaign for free school meals for primary school children – and won! [5] Now, it’s making a difference for kids at school every day.

Pushing children into poverty is not fair, compassionate or decent. Let’s stand against these cuts together.

Please sign the petition now:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/child-tax-credit

Thanks for being involved,

Rebecca, Laura, Nat and the 38 Degrees team

NOTES:
[1] BBC News: George Osborne considering £5bn cuts to child tax credits:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-33089711
[2] The Guardian: George Osborne under pressure to slow welfare cuts:
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jun/11/george-osborne-pressure-slow-welfare-cuts
[3] CPAG.org: Child poverty facts and figures:
http://www.cpag.org.uk/child-poverty-facts-and-figures
[4] The Guardian: Tory welfare cuts would hit poorest third of UK families, research shows:
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jun/14/tory-welfare-cuts-would-hit-poorest-third-of-uk-families-research-shows
[5] 38 Degrees blog: Victory! Free school meals:
https://home.38degrees.org.uk/2013/09/18/victory-free-school-meals-2/