Chancellor John Healey insists the benefits bill 'will come down under Labour' but STILL refuses to set a timetable
An Opinium poll conducted 28–30 October found 60 per cent of Britons believe the Budget merely tinkered with small things, failing to address welfare and defence.
John Healey sparked fresh chaos on Sunday by blaming journalists for the week's welfare confusion, saying he had "never set out the timetable for savings" — even as a former adviser to Burnham warned debt markets remain unconvinced the books will balance. The clarification is his third in four days after Treasury aides, then Downing Street, were forced to walk back his Thursday claim that the benefits bill would fall before the next election.
Kemi Badenoch warns a £49bn black hole in the Budget will force a £1,700-per-household annual tax rise by 2030-31.
Robert Jenrick says the scale of Labour's fiscal gap proves Burnham has an early general election in his sights, allowing him to avoid the day of reckoning.
The OBR has warned sickness and disability benefits alone could hit £100bn a year sometime within this decade.
