Tory Marriage Plans "Huge Disappointment say Christian Democrats in Election Launch

Christian Democrat candidates have launched their campaign for the elections
with a package of measures to tackle child poverty, end the couple tax-penalty
and boost support for married families. The Christian 'ticket' polled votes from
250,000 people across Britain in elections last year. The Christian Peoples
Alliance carries support from other Christian Democratic parties across Europe.

Responding to Tory proposals on marriage, Christian Peoples Alliance leader,
Cllr Alan Craig, said that David Cameron had failed to respond to the call of
many Christians with a half-baked proposal that was neither one thing nor the
other. According to the CPA, the Tory measures will barely dent the estimated
£20 billion annual cost of Breakdown Britain.

Cllr Alan Craig, said:

“Like Labour, the Tories definition of a family is ‘a group of people who share a
fridge.’ It isn’t good enough. Neither do their proposals tackle endemic child poverty.

"Cameron's Conservatives are deeply split over whether to tackle one of the key
causes of Breakdown Britain, the collapse of married families. They could have
listened to Iain Duncan Smith, who wanted to see £20.00 a week go into the
pockets of hard-pressed families. Instead, they have fallen foul of the PC-brigade,
by a promise of just £3.00 a week - which will make little difference in tackling the
married couple penalty or in extending choice to women over whether to work.”

Over a hundred parliamentary candidates and a hundred local authority candidates
from the Christian parties are intending to stand in the coming General Election. At
the launch on Saturday, the Christian Peoples Alliance published costed proposals
of £13.4 billion support for children of families of all backgrounds, with specific
targeted measures for traditional married families.

1. Transferable personal allowances (£6,475 for 2010-11) for income tax for married
couples only. This puts £1.5 billion into families, depending on take up. Co-habiting
and civil partnerships will be excluded.
2. Child tax allowances for parents £1,000 per child. Cost £4 billion a year based on
claims for 13.1 million under aged 18 and rate of tax 31%.
3. Child benefit increases. £10 per week per child. Cost £6.8 billion a year based on
claims for 13.1 million under 18.
4. First marriage gratuity of £2,000 per couple for 150,000 such marriages a year at
a cost of £300 million.
5. Child grants of £1,000 per birth in first marriages at a cost of £400 million.
6. Marriage preparation and preventative relationship and parenting education by the
voluntary sector for 800,000 families per year at an annual cost of £200 million.

The Christian Peoples Alliance have been backed in previous election by Roman Catholic
bishops, Anglican bishops, Pentecostal, Free Church, Baptist and Methodist leaders.
The party forms the Official Opposition on Newham Borough Council where it represents
one of the most deprived parts of London. Alan Craig added:

“Inner city Newham knows the consequences of relationship breakdown in homelessness,
mental health issues, cycles of deprivation including crime, educational under-achievement,
joblessness and children begetting children. The Conservatives have tilted in the right
direction, but their proposals will not seriously tackle these problems.”

Using figures in the public domain, the Christian Peoples Alliance will outline how they will
cover the cost of their measures when they publish their election manifesto, Not by Bread
Alone.

The cost of the proposals have been analysed by research body, PAPRI and the £20 billion
cost of relationship breakdown has come from Cambridge-based independent research
centre, The Relationships Foundation.


For more information: press@cpaparty.org.uk or call 07873 625396 or visit www.cpaparty.org.uk