South Cambs MP Heidi Allen defies convention and voices concerns over Conservative policies
Heidi Allen - Credit: Archant
MP for South Cambridgeshire Heidi Allen surprised the House of Commons on Tuesday (October 20) when she used her first ever speech in Parliament to voice concerns over her own party’s policies.
As part of a debate on tax credits Ms Allen, whose constituency covers electoral wards including Duxford, spoke passionately regarding recent cuts made by Chancellor George Osborne.
The MP questioned whether such drastic cuts were a betrayal of Conservative values, stating that she felt the change had come too quickly for people to cope.
Ms Allen said: “For many, everyday living is hand-to-mouth.
“Madam Deputy Speaker, I suspect you and I could weather such a transition period; we could pull our belts in.
“But many of the families affected by these proposed changes do not have this luxury. Choosing whether to eat or heat is not a luxury and that is the reality that I’m talking about.”
She added: “I became an MP to stand up for the vulnerable, to lead the way for those too tired to find it for themselves, that is the role of government too.
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“Conservatives pride themselves of living within their means, of cutting their cloth. But what, what if there is no cloth left to cut? How many of us really know what it feels like? How many have walked in those shoes?
“I worry that our single-minded determination to reach a budget surplus is betraying who we are.”
Ms Allen, 40, lives in Steeple Morden, Cambridgeshire, and was elected MP for the area in this year’s General Election having previously been a councillor in St Albans.
