Taxpayers who cannot afford a spare room should not be paying for those on benefits to have one, said Shipley’s MP.

Philip Davies said: “When the spare room subsidy was first removed the Opposition and their mouthpiece of choice, the BBC, complained that too many people would be removed from their homes, yet last week Labour BBC was complaining that too few people have been removed from their homes?

“Surely taxpayers not on housing benefit who cannot afford a spare bedroom should not be expected to pay for a spare bedroom for people on housing benefit.”