Sam Bowman's comments in defence of Lord Freud feature on Channel 4 News and ITV News

Research Director of the Adam Smith Institute, Sam Bowman, was quoted by Channel 4 News and ITV News on his defence of Lord Freud's remarks concerning work and disabilities. From Channel 4 News:

Lord Freud was defended by Sam Bowman, from the Adam Smith Institute, a free market think tank.

He said: "Lord Freud has been shamefully mistreated by Ed Miliband. His point was that the market value of some people's wages is below the minimum wage.

"This is often true of the severely disabled and can have appalling consequences for their self-esteem and quality of life."

From ITV News:

Think tank The Adam Smith Institute has defended Lord Freud's comments regarding disabled workers.

Sam Bowman, research director, said the Conservative welfare minister had been "shamefully mistreated" by Labour leader Ed Miliband, who has called for Freud to resign after he suggested some disabled workers are "not worth" the full minimum wage.

Mr Bowman said: "His (Freud's) point was that the market value of some people’s wages is below the minimum wage. This is often true of the severely disabled and can have appalling consequences for their self-esteem and quality of life."

He added: "To point out that someone’s market value is less than minimum wage has nothing to do with their moral value as human beings.

"Freud’s point was that we should help people in this situation by allowing them to find jobs paying below the minimum wage and topping up their pay directly to make up the difference."