Rolling coverage of all the day’s political developments as they happen 9.06am BST FRANK FIELD is the Cassandra of the House of Commons and today he is delivering a fresh prophecy. It should be an interesting speech. Cassandra was the figure from Greek mythology who was blessed with the power of prophecy, but cursed so as to ensure that, when she made a prediction, no one believed her. The parallel is not exact but Field, a lonely Labour backbencher whose brief record as a welfare minister was not a success, does have a habit of speaking uncomfortable truths. He was an early critic of Gordon Brown’s plans for a massive expansion of means-tested benefits, and some of his concerns were vindicated. In an unusual alliance with Sir Nicholas Soames he started warning about the dangers of mass immigration when many in the political mainstream were reluctant to admit it was a problem. He correctly forecast that Brown’s decision to get rid of the 10p starting rate of tax would be a disaster. And he was similarly prescient about George Osborne proposed tax credit cuts last year. Osborne, like Brown, ended up eventually having to admit Field was right and U-turn. Related: Corbyn must address working-class EU concerns, warns Frank Field Related: Junior doctors: Hunt labels first all-out strike in history a 'bleak day' for the NHS - live Continue reading...
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