Burnham Seeks Welfare Cuts Before £431 Billion Bill Peaks, but Won't Promise Them by 2029
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Oct 29
Burnham Seeks Welfare Cuts Before £431 Billion Bill Peaks, but Won't Promise Them by 2029
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Oct 29
Summary
Andy Burnham said he wants to cut the welfare bill "as soon as we possibly can" but declined to guarantee a reduction before the next general election, due by August 2029.
£353 billion of welfare spending this year is forecast by the OBR to rise to £431 billion in 2031/32, driven mainly by health-related and pensioner benefits.
Burnham said he would avoid "crude cuts" and instead focus on moving people into sustainable work, with November reviews on disability benefits and young people outside work or education expected to shape the plan.
The hesitation followed mixed signals after Chancellor John Healey suggested the bill would fall before the election, while Downing Street later said it was not setting an "arbitrary target or timetable".
Conservatives attacked Labour as weak on welfare, while former Bank of England economist Andy Haldane said a credible restraint plan could win a "huge bonus" from financial markets.