The House of Lords could be suspended or flooded with Tory peers if it takes the 'nuclear option' of killing off George Osborne’s tax credits cuts next week, government sources have warned.

Furious Conservatives are threatening retaliation if peers decide to take the unprecedented step of using a so-called ‘fatal motion’ to wreck the Chancellor’s plans to slash the welfare bill.

Their warning comes after we revealed that a cross-party group of peers was set to table a 'fatal motion' to scupper the statutory instrument needed to clear the way for the cuts to come into force next April.

On Monday evening the Treasury also took further steps to face down its critics, releasing analysis which it said showed Osborne's welfare reforms have saved the taxpayer £15bn a year.

Crossbencher Baroness Meacher, seen as the most likely leader of the revolt in the Lords, said today that there was wide-ranging concern over the impact the tax credits changes would have on large numbers of families earning low wages.

'Fatal motions' are used very rarely as unelected peers are wary of overstepping their powers to delay an elected government’s legislation.

Campaigners believe that the usual Salisbury convention, which stops the Lords from blocking a party’s plans, does not apply because the tax credits cuts were not mentioned in the Tory manifesto in May.

But a fatal motion on a financial matter would be unprecedented and Tory sources are determined that the Lords would have to pay a serious political price if the Government is defeated next week.

“If they do this, they will turn this from being a matter about tax credits into a huge constitutional issue of the Lords’ powers,” one insider said.

One option is to simply suspend the Lords’ entire business, and process bills purely through the Commons, while another is to draft a list of new Tory peers to allow the party to get its business through the upper chamber.

SOURCE: Huffington Post

This goes so close to being fascism as to make no difference. I'm just surprised it's so blatent.

One option is to simply suspend the Lords’ entire business, and process bills purely through the Commons, while another is to draft a list of new Tory peers to allow the party to get its business through the upper chamber.

SOURCE: Huffington Post

This goes so close to being fascism as to make no difference. I'm just surprised it's so blatent.

It's called revolt. The Poll tax was morally wrong too and the unelected public managed to help u-turn it. Good luck to The Lords.

The House of Lords could be suspended or flooded with Tory peers if it takes the 'nuclear option' of killing off George Osborne’s tax credits cuts next week, government sources have warned.

Furious Conservatives are threatening retaliation if peers decide to take the unprecedented step of using a so-called ‘fatal motion’ to wreck the Chancellor’s plans to slash the welfare bill.

Their warning comes after we revealed that a cross-party group of peers was set to table a 'fatal motion' to scupper the statutory instrument needed to clear the way for the cuts to come into force next April.

On Monday evening the Treasury also took further steps to face down its critics, releasing analysis which it said showed Osborne's welfare reforms have saved the taxpayer £15bn a year.

Crossbencher Baroness Meacher, seen as the most likely leader of the revolt in the Lords, said today that there was wide-ranging concern over the impact the tax credits changes would have on large numbers of families earning low wages.

'Fatal motions' are used very rarely as unelected peers are wary of overstepping their powers to delay an elected government’s legislation.

Campaigners believe that the usual Salisbury convention, which stops the Lords from blocking a party’s plans, does not apply because the tax credits cuts were not mentioned in the Tory manifesto in May.

But a fatal motion on a financial matter would be unprecedented and Tory sources are determined that the Lords would have to pay a serious political price if the Government is defeated next week.

“If they do this, they will turn this from being a matter about tax credits into a huge constitutional issue of the Lords’ powers,” one insider said.

One option is to simply suspend the Lords’ entire business, and process bills purely through the Commons, while another is to draft a list of new Tory peers to allow the party to get its business through the upper chamber.

SOURCE: Huffington Post

This goes so close to being fascism as to make no difference. I'm just surprised it's so blatent.

How do you know that the majority don't want tax credits cut? Did the Tories not get elected on the promise that they were going to slash welfare?

I've said on the other thread that I don't agree with the cut being quite this drastic, but I do agree that there's nothing progressive about burdening my generation (I'm 24) with massive debts and an unreformed welfare system. It needs cutting, it's massively bloated.

All this pie in the sky lefty rubbish about how unfair the world is is doing my head in. The Tories in my view were elected with a majority because they were the only ones trusted to make tough/ruthless/unpopular decisions that are in fact what's best for the country. It's now up to them to lead the country and they will be judged in five years' time.

You'll come back and tell me they should raise taxes on the wealthy instead. Pray tell, how much have wealth taxes raised in other countries? Look at the figures, it's sod all.

Where should the welfare savings be made, then, if not middle England? Labour have freely admitted they'd put up taxes on that very group. I'd rather we cut the benefit and kept taxes low rather than churning money for the sake of looking "compassionate".

As I've said, I feel the benefit cut should be done at the same pace as the rise in the Living Wage, but the principle is right IMO.