Diane hits out at Coalition Government after 'broken promises' on EMA

20 Jan 2011
Diane Abbott MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington launched a ferocious attack on the Coalition Government following a House of Commons vote on the future of the Educational Maintenance Allowances (EMAs). The termination of the scheme would originally not have been subject to a vote as it came under departmental spending. However a motion was pushed through in the Commons by the Labour Party to secure the vote, in which the Government prevailed with a 59 vote majority.

The vote was conducted in the presence of a large group of protestors who had come to voice their anger at the proposed termination of the scheme. Students directed their anger at David Cameron in particular, who in January 2009 specifically stated that his party had no plans to scrap EMA. This was also echoed by the Education Secretary Michael Gove before the general election where he stated; “Ed Balls keeps saying that we are committed to scrapping the EMA. I have never said this. We won’t”.

Following the vote last night, Diane expressed considerable anger at the Prime Minister for reneging on his EMA commitment.

“After yet another disgraceful U-turn from this Tory-led Government I can only convey my deepest sympathies to students up and down the country who voted for this Government and have been let down once again. David Cameron and his party had the nerve to seduce students with guarantees on EMA and this is the thanks they receive? It really does beggars belief.

“To make matters worse, when my colleagues in the Labour Party brought Cameron’s agenda to light, his party lied yet again and tried to tarnish the Labour Party in the process. 

“Make no mistake, these are the same untruths they peddle about the deficit in which a global economic recession is conveniently put to one side, the same lies about Labour’s work on the NHS, the same lies about tuition fees, I could go on. This Tory-led Government has nothing to offer other than empty words and broken promises, tonight’s vote is merely another example of this in action”. 

Ends
For more information please call Yao Adu on
020 7219 4426





back ⇢