The Chancellor is to send 2,000 fraud busters into Jobcentres to claw back £1.4billion from benefits cheats

From the Newshound archive · first published 24 October 2026.

One cheat collected nearly £39,000 in benefits while living in Zimbabwe and renting out a UK property. A Midlands claimant listed a derelict building as their address in an attempt to claim childcare support. Chancellor John Healey is expected to announce stricter data-driven checks on claimants who move overseas without declaring it at the Budget. The Institute for Fiscal Studies warns welfare spending will soar by £5.5billion in 2027.

Just 78 staff work on the scheme now, rising to 2,000 by 2030.