DAVID Cameron has come under fire after saying he was “delighted” MPs voted for tax credit cuts on Tuesday night.

Answering a question from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn during Prime Minister’s Question time, Cameron said tax credit cuts were “the right approach for our country”.

He said: “Let us make work pay, let us allow people to earn more, let us cut their taxes, and let us make welfare affordable. I am delighted that once again this measure passed the House of Commons with a big majority.”

An estimated 3.2 million families in the UK are expected to lose about £1,300 when the changes to tax credits come into being next April. Those affected are expected to find out by letter just before Christmas.

Corbyn pressed the Prime Minister on why he had changed his mind from his position during the election campaign when he explicitly promised not to cut tax credits.

Cameron replied: “What we said before the election is that we would reduce welfare by £12 billion as part of getting the deficit down, part of getting the economy growing, and part of creating two million jobs. That is what happened at the election, and we are keeping our promises by delivering that stronger economy.”

Cameron was pressed further on the issue by SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson who pointed out that a couple with two children living in a council house, both earning just above the minimum wage would lose more than £2,000.

This, Robertson said, would be the same as their basic rate of income tax rising 90 per cent. “Does the Prime Minister have the faintest idea of the human cost of his plans?” he asked.

Cameron replied that his changes would mean the couple would see a “huge benefit” because of cuts to social rent, changes to childcare, and an increase to the income tax allowance.

The Government may face a difficult time getting the changes to tax credits past the House of Lords on Monday. There are now, effectively, three “fatal” amendments to the bill, which would force it back to the Commons and back to the Government.

If that happens it will be highly unusual. There is a104-year-old convention that the Lords do not reject financial bills that are passed by the Commons.

 The National View, October 22: Millionaire Cameron’s ‘delight’ at tax credit cuts will leave a poor legacy