Anas Sarwar targeted in Glasgow protest

Anti-bedroom tax campaigners today gathered outside the Scotland Street office of Scottish Labour’s deputy leader, Anas Sarwar, to peacefully protest the Glasgow Central MP’s failure to vote for the abolition of the controversial policy in the House of Commons on Tuesday.

Sarwar is one of ten Scottish Labour MPs and forty-seven Labour MPs who were absent from the debate and vote on the bedroom tax, which penalises housing benefit claimants that the government deems to have “spare bedrooms” – regardless of whether or not smaller accommodation is available.

A recent YouGov survey indicated that 63% of Scottish voters oppose the policy, with only 26% in favour. Analysis from Citizens Advice Scotland released earlier this week also indicated up to two-thirds of people in the 82,000 Scottish households affected by the policy are classed as disabled.

A Glasgow woman this week became the first person in Scotland to be evicted over unmanageable arrears that she said were attributed to the bedroom tax.

The Scottish Socialist Party initiated today’s demonstration and described it as an opportunity for “all those who detest the bedroom tax […] to express their disgust”. Richie Venton, the party’s regional organiser in the area, said they had “warmly welcomed” the introduction of Labour’s parliamentary motion, but compared Labour MPs’ absence to the “spineless treachery” of the Lib Dems, who voted overwhelmingly in favour of the policy.

He said: “We expect spineless treachery and obedience to their Tory masters from [Lib Dem MPs], who ignored their own party conference wishes and voted to keep the bedroom tax. But if anything, the absence of the Treacherous Ten from Scottish Labour was even more reprehensible, since they ‘represent’ the very people hammered by this vicious measure – as today’s Citizens Advice Scotland Report confirms, the poorest, chronically sick, disabled, low-paid workers, single parents. Their treachery cannot pass in silence.”

Tommy Ball, the party’s candidate in the upcoming by-election for a seat in Glasgow City Council’s Shettleston ward, also claimed that Anas Sarwar had “blocked all attempts by constituents – including myself – to contact him for an explanation”.

Sources within Scottish Labour maintain that the motion’s failure by a margin of 31 votes could not have been influenced by the forty-seven absent Labour MPs, owing to the informal Westminster practice of “pairing”, whereby government and opposition MPs will strike a mutual agreement not to show up without affecting the result.

Campaigners have highlighted, however, that the UK Parliament’s online glossary says pairing is “not allowed in divisions of great political importance”, raising concerns about the validity of pairing on such a significant vote.

Sarwar was not present during the demo and could not be reached for comment.