Communities and Local Government (DCLG) Secretary Sajid Javid has been caught out claiming credit for Labour‘s performance on homelessness in a tweeted attempt to put down a critic.
Javid had tweeted a piece of misleading Conservative propaganda aimed at smearing the Labour Party in Parliament:
‘Same old Labour’?
Of course, Labour voted against the measure – proposed as part of Philip Hammond’s damp-squib Budget – because the government’s own Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) judged that it would make housing less affordable, pushing prices up to the benefit of existing owners instead of saving money for new buyers.
So the attempt to cast a negative light on Labour’s decision was deeply disingenuous.
Same old Tories.
A Twitter user took Javid to task for his propaganda – prompting Javid to make a further claim to try to justify himself:
Javid’s claim is technically correct. Homelessness is currently around 50% lower than it was in 2003.
But how much of that were the Tories responsible for?
This chart put out by Full Fact shows the change in homelessness to the most recent full financial year, 2016/17 – with a blue line added by the SKWAWKBOX to show when the Tories entered Downing Street:
The answer is very clear: all of the reduction in homelessness was achieved by Labour.
But that’s not all.
Not only have the Tories not contributed a single percentage point to the reduction – they have undone a huge part of Labour’s achievement.
Labour reduced homelessness from almost 140,000 households to 40,000 – a reduction of around 70%. So the Tories have added 20 points back onto the homeless total.
Yet Javid’s ‘a lot more to do’ claims credit for the Tories for Labour’s success, when in fact based on current projections the reduction will be less than 50% when the current financial year ends – because the Tories are increasing it.
Comment:
This kind of misrepresentation is very typical of the dishonest way in which the Tories respond to criticism of the impact of their policies – choose a high starting point for something and then claim it is lower now. Once you see the facts, it’s transparent – but most people don’t know the facts unless someone tells them.
The SKWAWKBOX contacted the DCLG to ask why the Secretary of State was disingenuously claiming credit for a Labour achievement as part of an attempt to attack the party.
We have not yet received a response.
Edit 4/1/2018:
DCLG has now responded to our enquiry with the following comment:
A DCLG spokesman said:
“Statutory homelessness peaked in 2003/4 at over 135,000 and the number of households in temporary accommodation also peaked in 2004 at over 101,000 – both current levels are well below these figures.
“But we’re clear that there’s more to do. Tackling homelessness is a complex issue with no single solution – that’s why we’re providing over £1 billion up to 2020 for various measures to prevent and reduce all forms of homelessness and rough sleeping. We’re also bringing in the Homelessness Reduction Act – the most ambitious legislation in decades, which will mean the most vulnerable people in society get the support they need earlier.”
This comment appears to repeat Mr Javid’s use of a historically-high benchmark and the use of ‘current levels are well below these figures’ repeats his omission of the fact that homelessness has risen significantly from the level the Tories inherited from Labour.
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He lied, it’s what Tories do, it really shouldn’t surprise anyone.
Whenever the Tories make any claim, Labour should scruitinise it forensically and then hammer the media to correct any errors. For far too long the Tories have made incorrect statements about the NHS for example and have been allowed to get away scott free.
Unfortunately MSM just ignore anything that doesn’t fit with their agenda
True, but we shouldn’t have to leave the fact finding and positive publicity to such excellent supporters as SKWAWKBOX and ‘Rachael-Swindon’. Labour should have an efficient media force to clamp down on lies and misinformation as soon as it hits the news.
I agree with you Jack, but as long as the MSM choose to ignore Labour’s protestations then it will have limited impact.
Just look at the difference it made when Labour’s message actually got some coverage during the GE when the MSM were forced to play fair.
Disingenuous is such a polite word to use about a Tory. Why dont you tell it like it is? They are liars and cheats!
Tories are always happy to claim credit for Labour’s achievements but at least they give us credit sometimes.
Cameron generously credited us with Thatcher and Reagan’s bank crash after all.
Shame Brown failed to press that point home after 2008 really. Could have saved us from a decade of austerity.
Thanks, Gordon.
Government is a matter of trust.
This is yet another deception which proves this Conservative government is untrustworthy.
Sajid I have a dalek voice Javid, is one of the worst at the dispatch box twisting or even lying about stats.
Has the Labour Party got its very own idiot Johnson?
Angela Rayner’s article with the description shit or bust.
If she has actually said these words, the big question is she stupid
A full on lying Tory minister, twisting the facts. You don’t often see that happening these days eh? Whatever next, the Maybot claiming the NHS is better off than it’s ever been before?
I just get fed up with lying Tories and their stupidity to think that many of us fall for it! I live in the Tory South West where the best we can get out of Labour is some Tory Lite Blairite clone who wouldn’t no socialism if it got up and bit them! With a lot more in yer face political activity from genuine Party activists that could possibly change but not yet! Anyway, in such a Tory paradise too many either do fall for their lies or are so cynical about the whole political process that they don’t care anymore! But there are some of us who are pissed off with every Tory lie which seem to become more and more outrageous as the days go by! When oh when can we expect a General Election, at least, so we can get rid of these bastards once and for all! Well, at least until another fuck up like Blair comes along, I suppose!
The Tories make me sick, literally.