Many nationwide will be alarmed by the Labour government’s announcement that it would be slashing billions of pounds from the nation’s welfare bill.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall will speak in the House of Commons and is expected to confirm a huge package of cuts to welfare. This is despite growing unrest from Labour MPs on the matter.
Downing Street has said there is a “moral and an economic case” for an overhaul and that the changes set to be set out by Ms Kendall will put the welfare system “back on a more sustainable path”.
Some reports have suggested that as much as £5 billion could be cut from welfare payments, including modifications to the Personal Independence Payment, which is the primary benefit for disabled people.
Ms Kendall aimed to reassure MPs on Monday that the reforms would ensure “trust and fairness” in the social security system and make sure benefits are available “for people who need it now, and for years to come”.
The government has revealed a string of changes to the welfare system, claiming that these adjustments will assist people in finding work.
Responses to the different measures have been mixed; while some have been welcomed, others have been criticised as “draconian cuts that will push more disabled individuals into poverty.”
It is “rather crass” to present welfare reforms as a way of saving money, Labour former minister Dawn Butler told the Commons, as she urged the Government to tax millionaires instead.
Ms Butler said the employment service has “always needed reform”, adding: “How we go about it, and the way we go about it, is fundamental and important, and I don’t think it should be linked to saving money, because that’s rather crass, and it’s caused lots of anxiety for my constituents in Brent East and elsewhere.
“The patriotic millionaires have said that just a 2 percent on assets over £10 million will bring in £22 billion a year. That’s a better way to bring money in to help fill the black hole that we found ourselves in.”
Ms Butler continued: “Does the minister agree with me that aspiration, compassion, care, fairness will be the hallmark of this Labour Government?”
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall replied: “Aspiration, compassion, care, fairness is absolutely a hallmark of this Government. That is why we are bringing forward these reforms.
“And as I said earlier to the House, I don’t start from a spreadsheet, I start from my belief that everybody has a value and a contribution to make in whatever way and that we want people to fulfil their potential.”
The Liberal Democrats said they support getting more people into work, but their work and pensions spokesman said he feared the effects of the reforms.
Steve Darling (Torbay) said the “significant blocker” in getting people into work was the state of the health and social care system. Health Secretary Wes Streeting was sitting on the Government benches several places down from Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall.
Mr Darling said: “The devil is in the detail of these proposals, and I do fear what we will find as we turn over rocks over the next few days, particularly for those who are most vulnerable.
“The minister has described the system as a broken system, and so therefore I would like to ask the minister how is (she) driving significant change through this. I fear this is tinkering around the edges where we need to see real culture change within the DWP.”
Ms Kendall said £26 billion was being invested into the NHS, £172 million into the disabled facilities grant, and £3.7 billion into social care.
She added: “We do need a decisive cultural shift in the DWP.”
She continued: “Our pathways to work employment support programme genuinely is that, because for some people getting out of the house is an achievement, for others going along to a community thing, maybe doing voluntary action, getting skills, that is what we mean.”
Helen Whately, Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary responded to Ms Kendall, saying: “This is a now or never chance to seize the moment, a now or never for millions of people who will otherwise be signed off for what could end up being a lifetime on benefits, but this announcement today leaves me with more questions than answers.
“How many people will this help back into work? By when? Surely we haven’t been waiting eight months just for another green paper? Where is the fit note reform, crucial to stem the flow of people onto benefits? Where is the action on people being signed off sick for the everyday ups and downs of life?
“Why is she only planning to save £5 billion when the bill is forecast to rise to over £100 billion?
“Fundamentally, this is too little, too late. The fact is £5 billion just doesn’t cut it. With a bill so big, going up so fast, she needed to be tougher. She should be saying no more hard-working taxpayers funding the family next door not to work. No more free top-of-the-range cars for people who don’t need them.”
Cuts to benefits will cause “pain and difficulty” to the most vulnerable, a Labour MP has said.
Clive Lewis (Norwich South) asked Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall whether her department understood the impact the reforms would have.
Mr Lewis said: “When she made the decision to go down this route, did they understand the pain and difficulty that this will cause millions of people, millions of our constituents who are using food banks, who are using social supermarkets, people who are on the brink.
“This £5 billion cut is going to impact them more than I think her department is giving credit for, and I would like her department to be able to look my constituents in the eye when I go back to them to tell them that this is going to work for them. Because as things stand, my constituents, my friends, my family are very angry about this and they do not think this is the kind of action that a Labour government takes.”
We might be able to save some money if we tighten down on the £8 billion we spend each year on illegal immigration. The absurdity of net zero and all the other money our government is wasting may be avoided if we cut down on handing our money away to foreign nations.
Sadly they pick on the natives first, way before anyone who enters this country illegally.
Starmer took the Labour Party to court in 2003, demanding payments for illegal immigrants. Because of his victory, Starmer and Labour will not take any action to lower the number of illegal migrants, their lodging expenses, or their perks.
While the UK is in debt, all foreign financing should be discontinued.
It’s disgusting that Labour is wasting billions of our pounds on people who shouldn’t be here and that their only solution is to use our most vulnerable members of society to fund their immigration army, and it seems that economically idle migrants come before our pensioners and disabled.
Our government send billions to Ukraine, to Africa and India. Billions on boat people – Starmer and Reeves are communists and pork pie merchants and the people of the UK should rise up because this is getting worse day by day.
And they say pensioners are a drain on society, at least they paid in. So now I’ve decided I’m going to live to be 100 just to enrage this government.
Our authorities ought to prohibit these boats from coming in and then deport the ones who do manage to get in. Without a doubt, they should cease assisting the millions of non-native English speakers who will never find employment.
And our Labour government believe that they can keep blaming the Tories for all this chaos, and we will do the same – we won’t!
I wish they would quit repeating the rhetoric that blames the previous government for everything that isn’t great because it gets very old. It only demonstrates their lack of creativity.
To negate the books they should cut goodies for those who arrive on our shores, uninvited and not wanted. They arrive, and they are given everything they require. Items that if we wanted them would have to work for, like furnishings, garments, mobile phones and driving lessons et cetera, while we British work longer and pay more tax.
Eight billion a year for illegals over 5 years, that’s 40 billion saved, but then I guess every penny counts when you’re spending £4300,000,000 on asylum seekers, hotels and legal costs.
They get everything we don’t. Cleaners make their bed and clean their room. Three hundred pounds for a voucher for a bike. Doctors visit their hotel, you name it, they get it. There is no hope for this country and it doesn’t pay to be British.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 