Kendall no threat to Britain's £100bn benefits albatross

FOOL ME once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me for think- ing the Labour Party would be bold enough to make the drastic changes this country needs. But to say the Government’s welfare reform doesn’t go far enough is the understatement of the year.

- Esther Krakue

Liz Kendall’s proposals feel like they were hastily cobbled together, with little meaningful thought about the benefits sys- tem. It’s a poisoned chalice, no doubt — even the late Lord Field was sacked for daring to “think the unthinkable” when tasked with welfare reform under Tony Blair 25 years ago.

Unfortunately, not much has changed. In opposition, Keir Starmer and his MPs fought every Tory proposal on the issue — sitting comfortably across the floor and knowing that the day had not yet come to shoulder that responsibility. But that day is now here and it’s clear the Government would rather risk plunging Britain into financial ruin than take on its army of backbenchers, lobbyists and well-funded pressure groups.

No doubt Kendall heard all of the usual objections: “People on benefits really want to work but can’t because of lack of sup- port or poor job opportunities.” Or “Stigmatising people on benefits is punching down.”

While I sympathise with these arguments, the reality of our public finances is too grim to ignore. The cost of sickness and incapacity benefits alone has risen to £75billion in the last year and it’s projected to exceed £100billion by 2030.

Yet Kendall is bragging about shaving a measly £5billion off that figure.