Government leader has pledged to bring down the "bulging benefits bill blighting our society".

Labour announces 'biggest ever' DWP 'crackdown' on people 'gaming' benefits system

by · Birmingham Live

Sir Keir Starmer has promised to "crack down" on benefit claimants who are "gaming" the Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) system". The new Labour Party government leader has pledged to bring down the "bulging benefits bill blighting our society".

Writing for The Mail on Sunday, the Prime Minister shared: "'In the coming months, readers will see even more sweeping changes. Because make no mistake, we will get to grips with the bulging benefits bill blighting our society.

"Don't get me wrong – we will crack down hard on anyone who tries to game the system, to tackle fraud so we can take cash straight from the banks of fraudsters. There will be a zero-tolerance approach to these criminals. My pledge to Mail on Sunday readers is this: I will grip this problem once and for all."

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Reacting to Labour's benefits fraud "crack down", a Conservative Party spokesman said: "Labour's hollow promises on welfare reform will fool no one. When the last Conservative government introduced messages to tackle the growing benefits bill, Labour opposed them every step of the way."

It came as Liz Kendall did the media rounds on Sunday (November 24). Ms Kendall claimed that those who "repeatedly refuse to take up the training or work responsibilities" will see "sanctions" on their benefits. When asked if this meant Britons could lose access to benefits all together, Kendall replied: "Yes."

"I do not want an ever increasing benefits bill spent on the cost of failure, people trapped out of work, terrible for their life chances, and paid for by the taxpayer," she added. Starmer vowed to “get to grips with the bulging benefits bill blighting our society” in “the biggest overhaul of employment support in memory”.

But he promised not to “call people shirkers or go down the road of division” and said that instead ministers would “treat people with dignity and respect”.