Cabinet united over welfare cuts, McFadden says as ministers brace for backlash
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall will set out her plans in the Commons on Tuesday.
The Cabinet is united behind efforts to slash the welfare bill, one of Sir Keir Starmer’s closest allies said as the Government braced for a backlash to its benefits curbs.
Pat McFadden, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and a key figure behind the scenes in the Starmer administration, insisted the plans being unveiled on Tuesday were “entirely in line with the values of the Labour Party”.
Ahead of Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall’s announcement, MPs on Labour’s left and the party’s trade union backers have hit out at the measures, arguing they would punish the disabled and the poor.
Reports have suggested there is also unease around the Cabinet table, with ministers including Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said to have voiced concerns in private.
But Mr McFadden said: “I believe the Cabinet is united behind taking on the issue of the growing benefits bill.”
He told Times Radio the current system “leaves too many people in a permanent state of dependence on benefits without the opportunity of work”.
The Office for Budget Responsibility has forecast that spending on health and disability benefits for working-age adults will increase from £48.5 billion in 2023/24 to £75.7 billion in 2029/30.
