Labour will bring 'own' DWP reforms rather than stick to Tory plans

The work and pensions minister Alison McGovern was asked by Times Radio why Labour was pressing ahead with plans made by the previous Tory government to amend work capability rules.

The new Labour Party government will bring its “own reforms” to the benefits system in order to make £3 BILLION worth of cuts, rather than stick to Conservative Party plans, a minister has said. The work and pensions minister Alison McGovern was asked by Times Radio why Labour was pressing ahead with plans made by the previous Tory government to amend work capability rules.

The Daily Telegraph reported on Friday that the government planned to cut £3bn from the welfare bill by tightening access to sickness benefits, honouring the Tories’ proposals to make savings over four years by changing the work capability assessment.

Ms McGovern said: “Like all departments, the Department for Work and Pensions has to make savings because we are in a terrible financial situation. To be clear, on that point we will bring forward our own reforms because the last 14 years have been a complete failure when it comes to employment.”

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She added: “We will not go ahead with the Tory plan because that was theirs. We will need to make savings like all departments, but we will bring forward our own reforms.” Rachel Reeves will seek to make around £3bn of cuts to welfare over the next four years by restricting access to sickness benefits, it is understood.

The chancellor is looking to raise up to £40bn from tax hikes and spending cuts in the budget as the government seeks to avoid a return to austerity, reports the PA news agency. Ms Reeves is considering raising the tax on vaping products in her budget this month as figures show that a quarter of 11 to 15-year-olds in England have used e-cigarettes.

The chancellor is looking at increasing the tax after a consultation carried out by the last Conservative Party government, which was defeated in the July General Election.