Andy Burnham Signals It Will Be Harder to Claim Benefits in Major Reform
He says support should be conditional on training or voluntary work as ministers seek to curb a welfare bill that has topped £41 billion.
- On Monday, Prime Minister Andy Burnham signaled he intends to reduce the national welfare bill by making benefits conditional upon recipients taking employment opportunities.
- A government-backed review led by disability minister Sir Stephen Timms concluded that the Personal Independence Payment system is "no longer fit for purpose," prompting calls for bold reform.
- More than 4 million people in England and Wales currently claim PIP, with spending forecast to exceed £41 billion by the end of the decade.
- Burnham warned that without "substantial change" to social care, the NHS will collapse under the weight of unnecessary admissions, pledging to invest his political capital to fix the crisis.
- With final recommendations from the Timms Review expected this autumn, ministers must balance welfare savings with providing support for the long-term unemployed and disabled.
29 Articles
29 Articles
Hard-Left Labour MPs Turn Fire on Burnham Over 'Punitive' Welfare Cuts
Labour’s hard-left flank is already snarling once again over the thought of “punitive” welfare cuts after Burnham hinted he would trim the benefits bill yesterday. Déjà vu… Bloomberg reports the likes of Kim Johnston and John McDonnell are squawking over the mere thought, with Johnston saying last night: “If the new leadership believes it can…
Burnham backs ‘conditional’ welfare support in first PM interview
In Andy Burnham’s first interview as PM, the newly-minted Labour leader spoke about the need to “get really serious as a country” about “getting the welfare bill down”. And how exactly does he plan to accomplish this feat? Well, Burnham claimed that he didn’t want to “blame” people on benefits, before adding: It’s about changing […] By Grace
The American Mind
ussanews.comWhat the Welfare State Unleashed
America’s debate over poverty has undergone a remarkable—and troubling—transformation. Two centuries ago, the central challenge was persuading needy people to accept public assistance. Today, the challenge is preventing people from fraudulently claiming benefits to which they were never entitled. That trajectory tells us something profound about the nation’s changing moral culture. Alexis de Tocqueville noticed something remarkable when he trave…
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