Standing in for Burnham, Louise Haigh refuses to say when the welfare bill will fall or rule out tax rises
Louise Haigh, standing in as First Secretary of State at PMQs, declined to say when welfare spending — projected to reach £431bn by 2031-32 — would start falling.
Louise Haigh, First Secretary of State and Burnham's de facto deputy, faced repeated demands at PMQs over the spiralling benefits bill — but refused to say when spending would fall or guarantee no further tax rises to cover it. Conservative deputy leader Alex Burghart pressed her four or five times on timing, exposing a government unable to give a clear answer.
Welfare spending is forecast to hit £353bn this year — £19bn higher than last year — and the OBR projects it will reach £431bn by 2031-32.
Burghart told the Commons working-age welfare alone stands at a record £183bn — higher than at any point during Covid — and accused Labour of lacking 'the bottle' to cut it.
Haigh's first PMQ outing drew mixed reviews: one outlet called it 'assured', while another wrote she 'started jabbering under fire'.
