Burnham: Labour and Plaid play Punch and Judy on child poverty

8.03.00am GMT Thu 4th Feb 2010

Eleanor Burnham, Assembly Member for North Wales has condemned the behaviour of Labour and Plaid AMs during a debate on child poverty in the Senedd on Wednesday.

Commenting, Eleanor, Welsh Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Children and Young People, said, "This was an opportunity for the Labour-Plaid Government to make a serious attempt to improve the lives of a third of the children in Wales - 96,000 of whom are living without such basic necessities as a winter coat.

"Instead, they took a defensive and antagonistic stance and chose to use the poverty of children to make cheap political attacks on opponents.

"Once again, rather than accept and address the real issue they played Punch and Judy. It was exactly the same last year when we debated the rising unemployment figures.

"I dread to think what anyone working to alleviate child poverty and its awful impact on children will have made of such a shabby display".