Danny Alexander: Tories planned to slash support for families

Liberal Democrat Danny Alexander has accused the Conservatives of being bent on "slashing support for families" while the two parties were in coalition.

The Chief Secretary to the Treasury said he was "lifting the lid" on the proposed Tory plans to cut £8 billion of welfare cuts that were vetoed by the his party.

Mr Alexander said the plans included limiting Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit to two children at a cost of £3,500 for a family of three.

In a statement on the Guardian website, Mr Alexander said: “I am lifting the lid on this now because the Conservatives are trying to con the British people by keeping their planned cuts secret until after the election.

“It’s clear from our time in government that the Tories target will be slashing support for families.

"They now ask the British people to trust them when they make unfunded pledges on health and tax yet they won’t tell us how they will cut welfare for millions of families to pay for their plans. They may give with one hand but they will take away twice as much as with the other.”

The Conservatives dismissed the claims and said it was "desperate stuff" from the Lib Dems.

A Conservative spokesman said: "We don't recognise any of these proposals and to be absolutely clear, they are definitely not our policy.

"This is desperate stuff from Liberal Democrats who are now willing to say anything to try and get attention."