'An absolute priority': Kendall vows to investigate carer's allowance scandal

Unpaid carers being left with crippling debts and threatened with prosecution after Department for Work and Pensions overpayments is "unforgivable" and would be investigated by a Labour government, the shadow work and pensions secretary has told the Guardian.

- Jessica Elgot

Speaking on a visit to meet pensioners in the Labour target seat of Thurrock in Essex, Liz Kendall urged voters who felt the party was not being bold enough to view Labour's promises as just the first steps in a 10-year plan.

Kendall said she was horrified by revelations unearthed by the Guardian's investigation into carer's allowance, which showed that tens of thousands of unpaid carers who were looking after disabled or frail relatives had found they owed huge sums to the government without warning, after unwittingly breaching earnings rules by a few pounds a week.

She said there was no reason why a system could not be put in place to immediately alert people if they breached the strict earnings threshold, which means they are no longer entitled to the benefit.

"That will be an absolute priority for me because these are people who are absolutely at breaking point, looking after the people they love, with precious little help and support in return," she said.

"Any repayments ... have to be done in a fair way. You will know that we have to see what the situation is if we get into government, to look at all of the data about what is happening. But we need to put the system right for the long term."