Sterilise the poor and bring back the workhouse: Public's bizarre suggestions for spending cuts



It is yet another brainchild of the new open Coalition: A website that allows the public to suggest where public spending cuts can be made.



But once again the idea has fallen victim to a string of outlandish suggestions – just like the scheme asking which bad laws should be scrapped.



The Spending Challenge website has been bombarded with possibilities for savings but some are offensive and others simply bizarre – such as the proposal to limit the amount civil servants drink to stop them going to the toilet.



Bombarded: The public have put up some bizarre suggestions on the Government's 'Spending Challenge' website

The writer suggested tea cups over 150ml should be banned and ‘fluid monitors’ brought in to impose fines for transgressions, claiming it could save £11billion a year.

Other suggestions include forcing the poor to be sterilised, calling for a return of the workhouse and forcing benefits claimants to work in sweatshops.



One poster, infuriated about the prospect of swingeing cuts, claimed the Office for Budget Responsibility should be renamed the Waffen SS.



And another demanded the Government ‘stop spending our money on illegal wars and false accusations to justify stealing other countries’ resources’.



The website was opened to the public last week to engage voters in how to make savings.



It is aimed at involving people in the move to save billions in public spending to help reduce the vast deficit.



The website is similar to the Your Freedom site that asks for ideas about which laws introduced by Labour should be axed. It crashed after dozens of bizarre ideas were suggested, including lifting the ban on marrying a horse.



Shadow Treasury minister Angela Eagle yesterday branded the spending suggestions ‘racist and offensive’.



At Commons question time, she asked for the ‘drivel’ to be removed and the website to be moderated.



Treasury Chief Secretary Danny Alexander replied: ‘Of course these aren’t ideas I would wish to promote.’



But he defended the consultation process and insisted Labour had yet to come up with a single idea to cut back on the burgeoning budget deficit.



Mr Alexander said although he would not promote such ideas, he was surprised she had ‘poured scorn’ on the consultation process.



He said the consultation with public sector workers had brought forward 66,000 ideas on savings that could be made in their services.