Streeting insists Burnham won’t make ‘arbitrary’ welfare cuts
U.K. Cabinet minister says PM's predecessor didn’t have a “thought-through plan” to bring down welfare bill.
Cabinet minister Wes Streeting has stated that Labour leader Andy Burnham will refrain from implementing "arbitrary" welfare cuts, as he defended the Conservative Party's handling of the issue. The defense comes after days of mixed messaging from the government regarding welfare, which has led to a decline in political support. Streeting, speaking to the BBC's Today program, recalled the controversy following the last general election when his Labour government introduced an arbitrary figure for welfare cuts, resulting in backlash from disabled people and their supporters.
He stressed that without a well-planned, sustainable approach to reducing the welfare bill, such arbitrary targets ultimately fail. The United Kingdom's spending on health and disability-related benefits has surged since the Covid pandemic, with the cost of working-age disability benefits in England and Wales rising from £14 billion in 2020 to £25 billion by 2026.
A report led by former Labour Health Secretary Alan Milburn is scheduled for release in November and will outline measures to assist the estimated one million young people not in education or employment. Meanwhile, the government awaits recommendations from minister Stephen Timms on reforming disability benefits. The controversy over potential welfare cuts prior to the next general election has recently resurfaced, with Treasury officials attempting to clarify that Burnham has not set a specific timeline for reductions.
Written by urgent.news from Politico EU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
