Tory David Cameron and Lib Dem Nick Clegg worked the austerity wrecking ball together, cartoon by Suz

Tory David Cameron and Lib Dem Nick Clegg worked the austerity wrecking ball together, cartoon by Suz   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

A Lib Dem wonk has claimed credit for the plastic bag charge – saying all it took was agreeing more attacks on welfare.

Polly Mackenzie was a policy director for Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg under the Tory-Liberal coalition government. On 19 April, she told Twitter:

“It is now so cool to ban plastic, it’s the government’s go-to policy to move the news on from a bad story. Worth reflecting on how far we’ve come in the last four years…

“Lib Dem ministers started agitating for a 5p charge on plastic bags. It took us months to persuade Cameron and Osborne.

“We finally got the policy in an eve-of-conference trade, in return for tightening benefit sanctions.”

Polly Mackenzie is... proud that she got a plastic bag charge by attacking benefits claimants?

Polly Mackenzie is… proud that she got a plastic bag charge by attacking benefits claimants?   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

.