Starmer ally defends minimum wage quango after Sunak calls for it to be axed Economics Welfare secretary Pat McFadden has leapt to the defence of the minimum wage quango after former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called for the body to be axed. The top ally of Sir Keir Starmer told CityAM it “would be a mistake” to abolish the Low Pay Commission (LPC), an independent body that advises the [...]
Jeremy Hunt: Pension triple lock is an ‘anchor drag’ on economic growth Politics Former chancellor Jeremy Hunt has warned that the triple lock on the state pension is acting as “an anchor drag on economic growth.” In an interview with CityAM, Hunt said that above-inflation rises to the state pension are being funded “by more debt” on future generations and called for every major party to pledge [...]
Pat McFadden: I have not apologised to Rachel Reeves over ‘tax to pay benefits’ text Politics Welfare secretary Pat McFadden has doubled down on his remarks unearthed in the Mandelson files that “every meeting [he has] is ‘who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others’”. The Cabinet minister was among numerous top officials to have his private messages released in documents relating to Lord Mandelson’s stint as the [...]
Rachel Reeves’ benefit handouts are unchristian, Badenoch says November 28, 2025 Kemi Badenoch has argued that Rachel Reeves’ welfare splurge in the Autumn Budget is inconsistent with Christian values, as she blasted the Labour government for raising taxes to fund increased spending. The Chancellor hiked taxes by £26bn on Wednesday to fund a massive injection of cash into welfare benefits, including the controversial decision to lift [...]
Autumn Budget: Reeves splurges £12bn on welfare as two-child benefit cap ditched November 26, 2025 The UK’s fiscal watchdog has forecast welfare spending to soar over the next few years after the Labour government ditched plans to reform the welfare state. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which accidentally published its report before the Budget, has said welfare spending will rise by £12bn in the fiscal year 2029-30, when compared [...]
Rachel Reeves set for £20bn OBR productivity downgrade October 28, 2025 Rachel Reeves’ ballooning fiscal black hole is set to deepen as the fiscal watchdog hands the Chancellor its final productivity forecast on Friday. The Treasury is already battling to contain public finances after a U-turn on welfare reforms ruined hopes of £5bn in savings, and a £190bn spending splurge on government departments helped erode the Chancellor’s wafer-thin [...]
Economy faces ‘midlife crisis’ as benefit claimants hit new high August 10, 2025 The economy faces a “midlife crisis” after a fresh study revealed the number of jobless benefit claimants aged 50 or older has reached nearly two million for the first time. A new report from the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has shown the number of 50 to 64-year-olds who are out of work and claiming [...]
Benefits claimants take home more than minimum wage workers July 10, 2025 Brits claiming sickness benefits can be paid up to £25,000, which is more than the take home pay of a minimum wage worker. That’s according to new research from the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), which found that if a claimant is receiving universal credit incapacity benefits alongside personal independence payments and housing benefits, the total [...]
Reeves on growth ‘hell slide’ after welfare U-turn as rebels call for wealth tax July 2, 2025 Rachel Reeves faces a “hell slide” in her ambition to balance economic growth with her “iron clad” fiscal rules following Labour’s U-turn on welfare. The Chancellor had hoped government plans for welfare reform would shed £5bn in spending as they targeted restrictions on personal independence payments (PIP) and limited the sickness-related element of universal credit. The [...]
Kemi Badenoch: I’ll only support welfare bill if government pledges no tax rises June 27, 2025 Kemi Badenoch has said she would only support Labour’s welfare bill if the government pledges not to raise taxes further at the next budget. More than 100 Labour MPs had threatened to vote against the bill in its original form amid concerns over a reduction in personal independence payments to their constituents. The government has [...]