Burnham wants welfare bill cut quickly, but government sets no timetable

Andy Burnham said during a visit to Derby on Thursday, 29 October, that he wanted to reduce the UK welfare bill ‘as soon as we possibly can’, but could not guarantee a cut before the next general election, BBC News reported. The government has not set a timetable, leaving households and public finances without a defined target for the proposed change.

Burnham said helping people into sustainable employment was his approach, according to the BBC. He warned that ‘crude cuts’ could leave people in crisis and increase public spending elsewhere. His emphasis on employment support comes as ministers face questions about how they intend to restrain a rising benefits bill.

What the welfare spending forecast shows

Healey’s remarks on young people and work

John Healey said in post-Budget interviews that the benefits bill would be reduced before the next election, the Guardian reported. Treasury sources disputed treating that answer as a promise to achieve a cut by then, while Downing Street rejected a timetable, according to the BBC and the Guardian. Healey also said young people would be expected to take up offers of support for jobs or training.

Healey called the welfare system ‘unsustainable’ and pointed to conditions on payments for young people under previous Labour governments, the Guardian reported. The government said it would set out changes after reviews of young people and work, and of disability benefits. The measures that could follow those reviews have yet to be announced.

When the two welfare reviews are expected

Alan Milburn’s review concerns young people who are not in education, employment or training. A separate disability-benefits review is co-chaired by minister Stephen Timms. Both were expected in November, the BBC reported. Burnham identified the Milburn review as a priority, making its findings a likely next point at which ministers will explain how employment support fits their spending aim.