Chancellor John Healey insists the benefits bill 'will come down under Labour' but refuses to say when savings start
John Healey spoke with Laura Kuenssberg as Chief Treasury Secretary Emma Reynolds also refused to commit, telling LBC the government had reduced the gap between youth and adult minimum wage rates "by a third.
Chancellor John Healey told the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme that "the overall bill will come down under Labour", pledging changes will begin in 2027 after two major reviews report this month. The OBR has warned sickness and disability benefits alone could hit £100 billion a year by the end of the decade. Healey also warned more "hard decisions" on public spending lie ahead.
Healey sparked confusion earlier this week by failing to clarify whether cuts would come before the next election; No 10 had to deny reports he had set a pre-2029 deadline.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Emma Reynolds said the Government will legislate to bring the bill down "in a fair and sustainable way", dismissing Conservative and Reform proposals as "crude cuts" that push costs elsewhere.
Half the welfare bill is pension costs, Reynolds confirmed, adding Labour is committed to the triple lock this Parliament but plans to amend it in the next.
