We will save £3.50 a year by making difficult decisions about childrens shoes

Look, nobody wants to cut the shoe allowance for under-fives. These are not the decisions we wanted to make. But we inherited a very difficult fiscal situation and we have to be honest with people about the choices ahead.

By reducing the child shoe allowance by 12p per quarter, we can save an estimated £3.50 per household per year. That is a difficult decision, but it is the responsible thing to do. We did not want to be in this position. We want to be clear about that. Very clear. Extremely clear.

We understand this will be unpopular. We accept that. We are a government that is willing to be unpopular in order to do the right thing. We will keep saying this until it sounds convincing.