PMQs: David Cameron's not for turning on housing benefit

Will new rules drive the poor out of high-rent areas?

Much coming and going at Westminster this morning over housing benefit. See this story for a quick catch-up.

In essence, the Coalition wants to cap housing benefit.

Under the new policy housing benefit will be limited to £400 a week for a four bedroom house, or £290 for a two bedroom flat.

Labour — and a few Lib Dems — worry that high rents in London mean the poor will be driven out of more affluent areas. The Coalition counters by asking why taxpayers should pay for claimants to live in Kensington et al, areas well beyond the means of most working people.

The Coalition says 21,000 households will be affected, 17,000 of them in London. Labour, (using some, er, interesting maths) claims that's equal to 200,000 people.

Anyway, that's the context. Hardly surprising then, that Ed Miliband chose to press David Cameron on the issue. Is the PM preparing to compromise? Not on this showing.

"We are going forward with all the plans we published in the Spending Review and the Budget," Mr Cameron insisted.

Heckled by Labour MPs, he went further, saying: "I know you don't like the answer 'We're sticking to our plans' but we're sticking to our plans."

Mr Miliband himself wondered whether the PM will ultimately come to regret being quite so categorical on housing benefit. Indeed, compromising now will cost him.

On the other hand, it seems unlikely that Mr Cameron would have made such clear statements by accident: I suspect he believes that he has public opinion on his side, and he's tempted to push ahead on housing benefit, hoping that Labour will keep up its campaign on HB and put itself firmly on the side of high-value benefits claimants.

PS
I suspect most people will score PMQs as a points victory to David Cameron, but it should be noted that Mr Miliband had the best joke, at Nick Clegg's expense: "No wonder he's back on the fags."