"Sarah Teather was a rising star of the Lib Dems – but then she was sacked as minister for families in September. Now she wants coalition MPs to see the damage that the new welfare rules will cause to her inner-city seat – and to the country as a whole"
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"Sandwiched between a pharmacy and an estate agent on a busy road in Willesden Green, north London, Sarah Teather's constituency office is nothing much to look at. It is small, cramped and crying out for a lick of paint. Inside there are framed newspaper articles telling the story of her sensational entry into parliament in 2003.
" 'Oh yes,' she laughs, though only momentarily, as she casts her mind back to that night. With Labour struggling in the aftermath of the Iraq invasion, Teather, then 29, became the youngest MP and a star in the making, overturning a 13,000 Labour majority to take Brent East for the rampant Lib Dems.
"... As we sit down to talk, it is clear that something specific is on Teather's mind. For someone used to being in the public eye, she is evidently on edge. It is only a few weeks since Teather lost her job as minister of state for children and families in David Cameron's September reshuffle, but it is not the sacking itself that is causing her distress. It is the issue that disquieted her most during her time in government – the £500-a-week cap on welfare that ministers will place on families from April next year that is eating away at her."
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