Prime Minister Keir Starmer has promised to “crack down” on benefit claimants who are “gaming the system” when it comes to accessing support through the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
Earlier this morning, the Labour leader pledged to bring down the “bulging benefits bill blighting our society”, which is estimated to cost the taxpayer around £137billion. As it stands, Universal Credit remains the primary benefit for job-seekers while Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is taken by those on sickness
This is the toughest intervention yet from Starmer when it comes to tackling benefit fraud with Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall set to put forward legislation in Parliament next week to “get Britain working”.
Official figures suggest that more than four million Britons will be claiming long-term sickness benefits by 2030 which is 60 per cent higher than pre-Covid levels.
Notably, the majority of claims are due to an increase in mental health-related claims, which make up around a third of all disability benefit claims.
Taxpayers are forking out £292million annually on claims for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) alone, a staggering jump from the £700,000 a year spent in 2013.
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Starmer is getting tough on benefit cheats
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Starmer has stated proposed reforms to the DWP system will be “the biggest overhaul of employment support in memory”.
Writing for The Mail on Sunday, the Prime Minister shared: “‘In the coming months, readers will see even more sweeping changes. Because make no mistake, we will get to grips with the bulging benefits bill blighting our society.
“Don’t get me wrong – we will crack down hard on anyone who tries to game the system, to tackle fraud so we can take cash straight from the banks of fraudsters. There will be a zero-tolerance approach to these criminals. My pledge to Mail on Sunday readers is this: I will grip this problem once and for all.”
Reacting to Labour’s benefits fraud “crack down”, a Conservative Party spokesman said: “Labour’s hollow promises on welfare reform will fool no one. When the last Conservative government introduced messages to tackle the growing benefits bill, Labour opposed them every step of the way.”
Among the reforms expected to be rolled out on November 24 include giving the NHS more power to get Britons back into employment.
This includes hiring tens of thousands of people who are economically inactive for health reasons in non-clinical roles.
On top of this, Kendall’s White Paper is rumoured to include the placement of work coaches in mental health clinics to encourage patients to find work.
Based on Government statistics, the number of Britons claiming incapacity benefits is estimated to jump from 3.2 million in 2023 to 4.2 million in 2028.
This is likely to cost the taxpayer £35.5billion by the end of the decade unless action is taken.
For comparison, the number of people claiming these benefits stood at just 2.5 million in 2019 at a cost of £17billion.
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Liz Kendall said she would “bring forward a proper plan to get Britain working and put the benefits bill on a sustainable course”PA
While appearing on Sky News earlier today, Kendall claimed that those who “repeatedly refuse to take up the training or work responsibilities” will see “sanctions” on their benefits.
When asked if this meant Britons could lose access to benefits all together, Kendall replied: “Yes.”
“I do not want an ever increasing benefits bill spent on the cost of failure, people trapped out of work, terrible for their life chances, and paid for by the taxpayer,” she added.