Will Labour Party MPs get behind PM's welfare blitz?
The Independent|November 25, 2024
Labour's blitz on benefits comes with some eye-catching language from the prime minister, announced in The Mail on Sunday. He has warned of Britain's "bulging benefits bill blighting our society" as he vows to cut the £137bn cost.
KATE DEVLIN
Will Labour Party MPs get behind PM's welfare blitz?

But alongside the rhetoric of "sweeping changes" and "no more business as usual", what's behind this policy drive?

What are the numbers?

Figures suggest more than 4 million people will be claiming long-term sickness support by the end of the decade. The government's latest official forecasts show the number of people claiming incapacity benefits is expected to climb from around 2.5 million in 2019 to 4.2 million just 10 years later.

This corresponds to a recent rise in the number of people out of the labour market because of ill health. This was 4.9 per cent of the working-age population in 2019 but by 2023, just four years later, it was 6.4 per cent, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

Why has this happened?

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 25, 2024 من The Independent.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 25, 2024 من The Independent.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من THE INDEPENDENT مشاهدة الكل
England hammer Japan to end vexing autumn on high
The Independent

England hammer Japan to end vexing autumn on high

After a November of frets and frustration came a chance for fun and frolics for England.

time-read
4 mins  |
November 25, 2024
Verstappen pulls up next to F1 elite with his fourth title
The Independent

Verstappen pulls up next to F1 elite with his fourth title

Dutch driver seals championship under lights of Las Vegas

time-read
3 mins  |
November 25, 2024
Treasure's chest! Salah stars for Reds in comeback win
The Independent

Treasure's chest! Salah stars for Reds in comeback win

Liverpool moved eight points clear at the top of the Premier League yesterday as Mohamed Salah scored twice to help them come from behind to beat Southampton 3-2 at St Mary’s.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 25, 2024
Amorim kicks-off United role with lacklustre draw
The Independent

Amorim kicks-off United role with lacklustre draw

Ruben Amorim can at least remind himself that Manchester United’s best managers have had worse starts.

time-read
4 mins  |
November 25, 2024
Have I got time to get a new passport for trip to Europe?
The Independent

Have I got time to get a new passport for trip to Europe?

Q My passport expires in July 2025. Is the Passport Office doing renewals quickly these days? If not, when is the best time? I intend to go to Europe before March.

time-read
1 min  |
November 25, 2024
Far-right populist leads in Romanian presidential vote
The Independent

Far-right populist leads in Romanian presidential vote

A far-right populist took the lead in Romania's presidential election yesterday and will probably face leftist prime minister Marcel Ciolacu in a runoff in two weeks, an outcome that rocked the country's political landscape.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 25, 2024
The extremism of Trump's pick for intelligence chief
The Independent

The extremism of Trump's pick for intelligence chief

Tulsi Gabbard made the journey from anti-war Democrat to Moscow-friendly Maga warrior. Rich Hall looks at how

time-read
8 mins  |
November 25, 2024
Three held after prominent Israeli rabbi killed in Dubai
The Independent

Three held after prominent Israeli rabbi killed in Dubai

Emirati police question men as Iran denies any involvement

time-read
2 mins  |
November 25, 2024
Lab test monkeys are flown to UK 'injured and terrified'
The Independent

Lab test monkeys are flown to UK 'injured and terrified'

Monkeys flown into the UK for laboratory testing were so badly injured that their crates were smeared with blood, photographs suggest.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 25, 2024
How collapse of building firm left Labour's plans for schools and jails in tatters
The Independent

How collapse of building firm left Labour's plans for schools and jails in tatters

Dozens of schools and prisons around England and Wales face higher bills and delays to new buildings worth billions of pounds after the collapse of one of the UK's biggest contractors. ISG, the sixth-biggest builder in the UK, collapsed in September, leaving 2,200 workers immediately redundant and many subcontractors out of pocket. At least one firm working for ISG has gone under.

time-read
5 mins  |
November 25, 2024