Has someone been misleading Parliament?

Yesterdat in PMQs Hansard records that Ed Miliband said (my emphasis):

'Edward Miliband: The Prime Minister is about to make 500,000 people redundant as a result of the cuts announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. It is clear that his policy on housing benefit is a complete shambles. He has talked about London, but in London alone councils are saying that 82,000 people will lose their homes—they are already booking the bed-and-breakfast accommodation. How many people does he think will lose their homes as a result of that policy?'

So Ed Miliband states as fact that 'councils... are already booking the bed-and-breakfast accommodation'. Are they?

Full fact is not so sure:

're councils really block-booking bed and breakfasts in anticipation of an exodus of housing benefit claimants from inner London boroughs?

...

Full Fact spoke to London Councils who provided us with a statement...

“London Councils has warned that up to 82,000 households could become homeless in the capital as a result of the government’s changes to housing benefit next year. Boroughs are now talking to private landlords outside of the capital about procuring private properties in case they need to use them as temporary accommodation.

“This is of course a last resort. Boroughs don’t want to move people into different homes outside of the capital - this causes disruption and comes at great cost. But unless the government takes on board the proper measures to prevent this housing crisis - like increasing a special hardship fund to help tenants who can’t afford their rents - they might have no choice.

“We urge the government to act before this housing crisis gets to unmanageable proportions where even more pressure is placed on council budgets, and the lives of thousands of Londoners - including many families on low incomes – are put at great risk,” the statement said.

...

However the whole fiasco suggests that Ed Miliband and others may need to avoid referring to these block-booking in future political jousts.'

So who is the liar (update)

This morning I blogged:

"Andrew Rawnsley claims that staff at Number 10 were intimidated by outbursts from Gordon Brown. From today's Observer -

"..Sir Gus O’Donnell, the cabinet secretary, became so alarmed by the prime minister’s behaviour that he launched his own investigations when he received reports of Brown’s bullying of staff. O’Donnell then gave the prime minister a stern “pep talk” and ordered him to change his behaviour. “This is no way to get things done,” he told Brown. The revelation that the prime minister’s behaviour was so extreme that it triggered a warning from Whitehall’s most powerful official will shock the political world and is bound to lead to claims from his opponents that he is not fit for another five years in office as a general election draws near."

The PM's spokesman said the claim in a book by the Observer's chief political commentator Andrew Rawnsley were "without foundation" and "malicious".

Labour MP Stephen Pound confirms that Gus O'Donnell warned Gordon Brown about his behaviour.


Not all of these people can be telling the truth, at least one must be lying; but who?"

Tonight I heard on BBC 5Live and you can read on the website that Christine Pratt of the National Bullying Helpline has reported that several people in Gordon Brown's office have contacted their anti-bullying charity. Christine Pratt decided she had to come forward because 'Mandelson' had been so certain that no bullying had taken place.

So once again I say not all of these people can be telling the truth, at least one must be lying; but which?


Dizzy Thinks has some fascinating Hansard sourced information.