Chancellor John Healey insists the ballooning benefits bill 'will come down under Labour' but refuses to say when
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.A data graphic showing Britain spent £1.1 trillion more on benefits than infrastructure over 19 years, as two government reviews on PIP reform and youth employment are due to report this month.
Chancellor John Healey admitted Labour "never set out a timetable for savings" after creating widespread confusion earlier in the week by suggesting cuts would arrive before the next election. Appearing on the BBC's 'Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg', he insisted the overall bill will fall, not merely slow, and pledged changes would begin in 2027. No 10 had been forced to issue a hurried denial mid-week after his earlier remarks were widely read as committing to pre-election reductions. The OBR has warned sickness and disability benefits alone could hit £100 billion a year before the end of the decade.
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Emma Reynolds said Labour would 'legislate to bring the welfare bill down in a fair and sustainable way.'
Two reviews — Sir Stephen Timms on PIP and Alan Milburn on youth employment — are due to report this month before legislation follows next year.
Reynolds pointed out that half the so-called welfare bill is actually pension costs, with the triple lock protected this Parliament.
