THE Government has been accused of hypocrisy for saying it "does not comment on individual cases" – weeks after Chancellor George Osborne made controversial comments about the Philpotts.
Treasury officials were asked to comment on the tragic death of a grandmother, who blamed the Government's "bedroom tax" for her decision to commit suicide.
But the Treasury refused to comment, insisting it does not comment on individual cases.
The stance caused outrage on Twitter, which one post arguing it smacked of double-standards after Mr Osborne linked the case of child killer Mick Philpott to the need for reform of the benefits system.
The post, which was retweeted by comedian Frankie Boyle to his 1.36 million followers, read: "Mick Philpott kills 6 kids: Tories blame benefit system. Bedroom tax victim commits suicide: Tories 'don't comment on individual cases'."
Among those who accused the Government of double-standards was Derby City Council's Labour leader, Paul Bayliss.
Mr Bayliss said: "It shows the Tories are a bunch of hypocrites. They talk about things that push their political agenda but not about things that don't.
"It demonstrates the Chancellor diminished his office with his shallow comments about the Philpott case. It demonstrates the poor calibre of the Tories."
The Derby Telegraph asked the Treasury for a comment but did not receive a reply.
In April, Mick and Mairead Philpott were found guilty of starting the fire that killed six of their children.
They were jailed for manslaughter along with family friend Paul Mosley, who was also found guilty by a Nottingham jury.
