Ah, the irony… Labour-run Lewisham Council might perhaps have picked a better day to champion employment and welfare reform minister Tony McNulty’s crackdown on fraudulent benefit claimants. Here’s their press release issued today:

A joint investigation by Lewisham Council and the Department of Works and Pensions (DWP) has led to the successful prosecution of a woman who defrauded nearly £43,000 in benefits from them. … Councillor Susan Wise, Cabinet Member for Customer Services, said: “From the Council’s perspective, this is money that could have been spent on people who need it. Through working together with the DWP we have successfully stopped this woman from cheating the system and cheating other taxpayers.”

Tony McNulty, Minister of State of Employment and Welfare Reform, said: “Benefit thieves have to understand that they will not get away with it. Working together with local authorities and the police we have a range of powers to investigate and with the support of the public we bring benefit thieves to justice.”

Of course, benefit thieves are merely layabouts scrounging off the state, whereas Mr McNulty is a hard-working government minister who claimed £60,000 of taxpayers’ money for a second home located nine miles from his main home, and lived in by his parents. Easy to spot the difference.

Hat-tip: Cllr Brian Robson.