Labour divided over Tory cuts backing

Labour leadership hopeful Liz Kendall has defended the party's interim leader, Harriet Harman after others attacked her for endorsing key Tory benefit cuts.

Liz Kendall said it was essential that the party showed that it had changed if was to regain the trust of voters.

She said "People said to us 'We don't trust you on the money, we don't trust you on welfare reform.'

If we are going to oppose things we have to put something else in its place, because if we carry on making the same arguments we have done over the last five years we will get the same result.

"We have to put forward a different credible alternative and Harriet was absolutely right to say that."

Labour's leadership candidates have hit back at comments from acting leader Harriet Harman suggesting the party should not contest the Tory government's latest round of welfare cuts.

Speaking over the weekend, Ms Harman said Labour had to win back the trust of voters when it came to the economy - and they could not to that through "blanket opposition" to the Conservatives' budget.

Jeremy Corbyn - the most left-wing of the contenders - had already declared he will not support Ms Harman's decision, while a spokesman for Andy Burnham today said he too opposed cuts to child tax credits.

A spokeswoman for Yvette Cooper said she would argue for a "real alternative" to the Tories' plans.

Liz Kendall, the fourth candidate, is yet to comment.

Labour will not contest the Government's latest round of welfare cuts, including the lower household benefits cap and new limits on child tax credits, the party's acting leader has said.

Harriet Harman told the BBC that her party had to acknowledge that it lost the election because voters did not trust it "on the economy and on benefits".

Ms Harman said Labour would oppose some of the changes to tax credits, as well as the abolition of the child poverty targets, but that they wouldn't do "blanket opposition" because people don't want it.

Left-wing Labour leadership contender Jeremy Corbyn indicated he would not support Ms Harman's decision.

"If it is proposed that Labour MPs are being asked to vote for the government's plans to cut benefits to families I am not willing to vote for policies that will push more children in to poverty," he said.