Benefits overhaul will be fair, insists Kendall

The enactment and pensions caput has insisted her planned overhaul to benefits rules volition beryllium fair, arsenic Labour MPs hold for details of expected payment cuts.

Liz Kendall said the plans, to beryllium published connected Tuesday, would enactment rising benefits expenditure connected a "sustainable footing".

The authorities insists changes are required to trim ballooning spending connected wellness benefits, which are predicted to proceed rising successful the coming years.

But the determination has faced absorption with Labour ranks, and has already led charities to pass of the imaginable interaction connected susceptible claimants.

Ministers person already abandoned plans for a one-year frost to PIP payments, aft disquiet from MPs.

The proposals to beryllium unveiled connected Tuesday are the effect of months of enactment to carnivore down connected rising claims for health-related benefits successful the aftermath of the Covid pandemic and guarantee the strategy is not trapping immoderate claimants retired of work.

But they are being unveiled against the backdrop of worsening economical forecasts, which person accrued the request to find savings to let the authorities to conscionable its self-imposed rules connected aboriginal borrowing and spending.

Ministers are expected to shelve plans not to rise idiosyncratic independency payments (PIP), the main disablement payment successful England and Wales, successful enactment with ostentation adjacent twelvemonth aft pushback from wrong Labour.

It is thought that alternatively the changes announced connected Tuesday volition present absorption connected eligibility for PIP, which recipients assertion pursuing an appraisal to assistance conscionable regular surviving costs from semipermanent carnal oregon intelligence wellness conditions.

Spending connected PIP, which is claimed by immoderate radical successful work, is the second-largest constituent of the working-age payment measure and is projected to astir treble to £34bn by 2029-30.

Top-up payments nether Universal Credit linked to claimants' wellness are besides expected to diagnostic successful the plans. Some of the wealth saved is expected to beryllium spent connected helping jobless claimants backmost into work.

Speaking successful the Commons, Social Security Minister Sir Stephen Timms said the bundle would look to tackle "incentives to inactivity" successful the system.

Although helium did not connection details, helium said the government's projected changes would beforehand much "personalised support" to assistance those connected benefits find employment opportunities.

But helium admitted speculation successful the run-up to the authoritative announcement had been a root of "anxiety" for claimants, adding: "I'm bittersweet that that's happened, and that radical person been concerned."

Kendall said the authorities would not "shy distant from the decisions that we judge are close to springiness opportunities to radical who tin work" but would besides support "security for those who can't".

She added the changes would guarantee "trust and fairness successful the societal information system, and to guarantee it's determination for radical who request it now, and for years to come."

Labour MPs person been invited to briefings by Downing Street implicit the past week, but determination is important concerns among galore backbenchers.

The Conservatives' shadiness enactment and pensions caput Helen Whately questioned Kendall connected reports astir unease among the Cabinet.

Ms Whately asked the curate whether determination was "collective agreement" connected the plans, with Kendall responding that Whately would person to "show a small patience".

Total spending connected wellness and disablement benefits is forecast to emergence from £64.7bn successful 2023-24 to £100.7bn successful 2029-30.

The biggest contributor to this would beryllium from payment spending connected working-age adults, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility.

Claimant numbers, for PIP and Universal Credit payments, person accrued importantly successful the 4 years since the pandemic, driven by an summation successful those claiming for intelligence and behavioural problems arsenic their main condition.

The erstwhile Conservative authorities had explored making it harder for younger radical with intelligence wellness conditions to assertion PIP.

But nary elaborate proposals were announced up of the wide predetermination past July, which saw Labour instrumentality to powerfulness aft 14 years retired of office.