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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Politics
Shehab Khan

Michelle Dorrell: Tory voter in tearful Question Time attack on government 'now supports Jeremy Corbyn'

A Conservative voter who was reduced to tears confronting a Tory minister on BBC Question Time has revealed she now supports Jeremy Corbyn.

Michelle Dorrell, a mother-of-four, confronted energy minister Amber Rudd about the government's decision to go ahead with £4.5bn of tax credit cuts next April.

Despite voting for the Conservative’s in May, Ms Dorrell, told The Telegraph that the Tories have "lost" her vote and that she now supports Labour.

She said: "Corbyn will divide opinions up and down the country. But he is bringing back the democratic process where everyone has different opinions. He is listening to the people.”

Ms Dorrell, who runs a nail salon from her home in Folkestone, hit out at Ms Rudd on the BBC1 programme on Thursday. The minister did not to respond to Ms Dorrell’s emotional attack and the audience member has since made it clear she feels she has been “lied to” and “let down”.  

She said: "I am a very political minded member of the public and I feel let down. In my lifetime I do not feel my government has worked to help me.

"I did vote Tory because I felt they would have been the best for me and my children. I feel I was lied to and they have let me down. It's not just me, there are so many thousands of other like me."

Defending the government’s decision to cut tax credits by £4.5bn, David Cameron’s spokesman said: “The point the Prime Minister and Government is trying to get across is that it’s important you see the changes we are making in tax credits are part of an overall package of changes, designed to ensure we push wages up.”

He added: “It’s worth remembering with tax credits ... they have increased over the years and so the spend on tax credits has gone up and up and up. If we’re going to tackle the overall welfare budget and try to move away from being a high welfare country to a low welfare country, then this is something we have to look at.”

Jeremy Corbyn has spoken out in support of the ex-Tory voter saying that Ms Dorrell's speech was "gut-wrenching" and showed the extent to which voters have been betrayed by the Tories.

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