Daily roundup: Housing benefit for under-25s, child poverty and an inquiry into Booktrust

Plans to scrap housing benefit for under-25s are to be ditched following a Liberal Democrat revolt against the idea, the Observer reports. The paper says the plan to shave £2bn off the benefits bill has been strongly opposed by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and chief secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander. Chancellor George Osborne is expected to announce several billion pounds of benefit cuts in the autumn statement this week.

More than fifty national children’s charities, trade unions and academics have signed a letter urging government not to inadvertently increase child poverty levels through measures in the autumn statement this week. Published in the Independent, the letter warns further public spending cuts could mean 800,000 more children to fall into poverty by 2020. The TUC has meanwhile published a study suggesting families will be hit hardest if the Chancellor freezes or cuts working-age benefits. It says a £10bn cut in the welfare budget would cause low income households to lose more than £700 a year – eight times more than the richest ten per cent of households.

MPs have demanded an inquiry into claims the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg intervened to help a charity with links to his wife obtain £12m of taxpayers’ money. The Daily Mail reports that leaked emails show one of Clegg’s aides lobbied for Booktrust to be given a grant. A spokeswoman for Clegg said there was “nothing improper” about his interest in the Booktrust grant and that any suggestion of impropriety was “completely wrong”. Miriam Clegg has previously hosted functions for Booktrust, a charity working with children and families to encourage reading.