Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said making "brutal cuts" to welfare spending without considering the wider consequences is not the right way to address the rising benefits bill. He insisted he would "stick to my guns" on his approach to benefits, refusing to put a number on how much he wanted to see the cost of welfare fall.
Prime Minister rejects "cuts agenda"
In an interview with ITV News for a programme marking his first 100 days in office, Mr Burnham faced scrutiny about reducing the benefits bill. Asked how much he wanted to see the cost of welfare fall by, he said: "I come at it a different way. I want to talk about how many people am I going to help into work? If you go at it with a number like you've just said, I think this is exactly what I was saying before about politics done the wrong way."
He added: "And the changes I'm trying to bring, they've done that before: 'Oh, we need to cut this amount'. And then straight away it's into a kind of a cuts agenda without really thinking through how do you help people from where they are to a better position."
Mr Burnham said he "of course" wanted to see welfare spending fall, and suggested the Conservative target of cutting the cost by £36 billion a year meant the opposition was "putting a number before people". "I will say to you, if they were to do that, there'd be another big number over here for the utter chaos that they cause in people's lives," he added.
Chancellor under scrutiny after Budget remarks
Chancellor John Healey found himself under the spotlight in the wake of the Budget for appearing to suggest that Labour would bring down the benefits bill ahead of a general election. Treasury officials later backtracked on his remarks and refused to put a timeline on the commitment, but several Government figures lined up to insist that Labour was serious about cutting the rising cost of welfare.
The Prime Minister said he was pioneering "radical changes" to the way young people are supported into the world of work. "They're in a school system that is overly focused on the university route and doesn't give a pass for young people who want to move towards work and get technical qualifications," he said.
Welfare spending forecast to rise
Welfare spending is forecast to rise by £19 billion over this year to £353 billion. The Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts it will rise to £431 billion by the 2031-32 financial year, largely driven by health-related and pensioner benefits.
Ministers are awaiting the outcome of two reviews into aspects of the welfare system before they commit to sweeping changes aimed at reducing its costs. The Timms review, led by work and pensions minister Sir Stephen Timms, is investigating what changes could be made to the personal independence payment, the main disability benefit. The Milburn review, led by Blair-era former minister Alan Milburn, is looking at how to get more young people into work, training or education.
Elsewhere in the ITV interview, the Prime Minister revealed he has spoken to his predecessor Sir Keir Starmer and former chancellor Rachel Reeves since he assumed power. "We've exchanged messages and we've always had a good working relationship. We obviously had differences at times, for certain. But, yeah, I do keep in touch with people," Mr Burnham said.
ITV News's programme Burnham: Inside The First 100 Days will be broadcast on Tuesday night.
