Here is the statement the Labour party released overnight in response to the advance briefing about the Tory plans to cut benefits by £36bn. A Labour spokesperson said:
double quotation markThe Tories let the welfare bill soar on their watch. Now they have the audacity to pretend it was nothing to do with them. You can’t trust them to solve problems they created in the first place.
The Conservatives designed and implemented this benefit system, which has driven large numbers of people to be signed off and written off. In the Tories’ last year in government, the welfare bill rose by a record £33bn.
Labour is tackling the collapse in face-to-face assessments, bringing in personalised employment support for sick and disabled people and spreading opportunity to young people through the Youth Guarantee. Further reforms will follow the Milburn and Timms Reviews.
