Wes Streeting has denied that Labour is “becoming the Tories” with its welfare reforms, amid hypothesis incapacity advantages could possibly be lower.
The well being secretary advised Sky Information’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips that it’s “not a Labour argument to say that we wish folks consigned to a lifetime of profit”.
Nevertheless he refused to be drawn on how the federal government is planning to get extra folks into work, saying opposite to media stories of inner divisions the proposals have “not been mentioned” in cupboard but.
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Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall is anticipated to unveil a collection of measures to chop welfare spending subsequent week, forward of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s spring statement.
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The plan was thought to incorporate cancelling an inflation-linked rise to the non-public independence fee (PIP) – however this has reportedly been scrapped due to backlash from Labour MPs.
Mr Streeting wouldn’t be drawn on the supposed division – saying we’ll “have to attend and see the proposals” and the problem “hasn’t been mentioned in cupboard”.
Nevertheless he mentioned that what the federal government is attempting to realize with welfare reform is to ensure the system “does the 2 issues it must do”.
“One is to help individuals who can’t work to ensure they have dignity, independence, and high quality of life.
“And secondly, for many who can, to guarantee that the welfare system is not only a security internet, that it is a springboard again to work.”
Private Independence Cost (PIP) is cash for individuals who have additional care wants or mobility wants on account of a incapacity.
Mr Streeting mentioned one thousand folks every single day are signing on to PIP and that is “the scale of town of Manchester” over the course of a 12 months.
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Requested if folks get advantages too simply, the cupboard minister mentioned there’s a “presumption in favour of the advantages system” and other people “must have the suitable help to remain and work wherever attainable”.
He rejected the declare that Labour is “turning into the Tories”, saying: “I do not assume that it’s a Labour argument to say that we might need folks consigned to a lifetime of advantages and never in a position to go to work after we know that they will.”
Labour MPs concern incapacity profit cuts
Former Tory chancellor George Osborne – the architect of welfare cuts throughout the coalition years – mentioned on his Political Forex podcast this week that he resisted freezing PIP as a result of he felt it was going too far.
Former Labour shadow chancellor Ed Balls, who co-hosts the podcast with him and is married to House Secretary Yvette Cooper, additionally mentioned slicing incapacity advantages is “not a Labour factor to do…it is not what they’re for”.
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The federal government’s motivation is the price of long-term illness and incapacity advantages for working-age folks, which has risen by £20bn for the reason that pandemic and is forecast to hit £70bn over the subsequent 5 years.
Ministers have pressured there are at present 2.8 million folks not in work as a consequence of ill-health, whereas one in eight younger individuals are not in training, coaching or employment – prompting fears of a “wasted era”.
A few of the adjustments being mooted embrace making it more durable to qualify for PIP and rising the speed of Common Credit score for many who are in or trying to find work to incentivise employment, whereas slicing the speed for these judged unfit to work.
Many Labour MPs concern drastic cuts to probably the most susceptible.
In a put up on X, Barry Gardiner, the Labour MP for Brent West, criticised the bankers bonus cap coming to an finish and mentioned he would not perceive “why it’s too tough to tax slightly extra these having to handle on £19m a 12 months” as an alternative of slicing the advantages invoice.
‘Overdiagnoses of psychological well being situations’
Mr Streeting later advised the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg that “the ethical of the story is to attend for the plans” when repeatedly questioned on the way forward for PIP and different welfare advantages.
He additionally mentioned he thought there was an “overdiagnosis” of psychological well being situations with “too many individuals being written off” and never getting the help they want.
Laura Trott, the Tories’ shadow training secretary, refused to say whether or not she supported incapacity profit cuts or not.
However she mentioned the adjustments weren’t in Labour’s manifesto, whereas her social gathering did have a plan to do that.
She advised Trevor Phillips: “On the election, Labour mentioned we might save no cash on welfare.
“They’ve misplaced a lot time when it was apparent to everybody this was a profit system that wanted to be introduced underneath management after the pandemic.
“Labour is coming to this too late with out a plan. They had been clearly divided on it. And that’s not what our welfare system wants.”
