Tory MP Alec Shelbrooke’s 10 Minute Rule Bill to introduce a welfare cash card for benefit claimants, especially those on JSA (but excluding disability payments and the basic state pension,) has gone down like a cup of cold sick with the left this afternoon. The food stamp 2.0 would see restrictions placed on booze, fags and Sky TV et cetera, and ensure the safety net was just that. Shelbrooke told the House earlier:

“This is about benefit distribution and spending, not benefit allocation. It encourages responsible spending by welfare claimants; ensuring taxpayers’ money is spent wisely and for the purpose it is intended. Delivering Beveridge’s vision of a temporary security net by using benefits to create a society of strivers”.

A poll commissioned by Demos found that 59% of the country support the move…