Treasury officials later backtracked on his remarks and refused to put a timeline on the commitment, but several Government figures lined up to insist that Labour was serious about cutting the rising cost of welfare.
asserted
Labour → backtrack → welfare
The Prime Minister faced scrutiny about reducing the benefits bill in an interview with ITV News for a programme marking his first 100 days in office.
asserted
Minister → face → office
Asked how much he wanted to see the cost of welfare fall by, Mr Burnham told the broadcaster: “I come at it a different way.
asserted
I → ask → it
I want to talk about how many people am I going to help into work?
asserted
I → want → work
If you go at it with a number like you’ve just said, I think this is exactly what I was saying before about politics done the wrong way.
asserted
I → go → politics
“And the changes I’m trying to bring, they’ve done that before: ‘Oh, we need to cut this amount’.
asserted
we → try → amount
And then straight away it’s into a kind of a cuts agenda without really thinking through how do you help people from where they are to a better position.”
asserted
they → ’ → position
He added: “If you come at it through that normal Westminster mindset of saying ‘we must cut x amount from the system’, well, it will fail again.
asserted
it → add → system
And that’s what we’ve seen in politics in recent times.
asserted
we → ’ → times
The Prime Minister said he “of course” wanted to see welfare spending fall, and suggested the Conservative target of cutting the cost by £36 billion a year meant the opposition was “putting a number before people”.
“I will say to you, if they were to do that, there’d be another big number over here for the utter chaos that they cause in people’s lives,” he added.
uncertain
he → say → lives
Mr Burnham said he was pioneering “radical changes” to the way young people are supported into the world of work.
asserted
people → say → work
“They’re in a school system that is overly focused on the university route and doesn’t give a pass for young people who want to move towards work and get technical qualifications,” he said.
asserted
he → ’re → qualifications
The Prime Minister: “We have an approach that doesn’t support people when they need it and then pays billions to sustain them in an unproductive position.
asserted
they → support → position
“That is the radical change that we need.
asserted
we → need → that
And that’s how you make the saving.
asserted
you → ’ → saving
You don’t make the saving just to go to brutal cuts, because if you just go to brutal cuts… you will leave people in absolute crisis and then they will be going into other services in a chaotic way.
asserted
they → make → way
“So, I’m pioneering a different approach and I’m going to stick to my guns on it.
asserted
I → pioneer → it
I’m going to stick to my guns on everything that I believe as Prime Minister.”
asserted
I → go → Minister
Welfare spending is forecast to rise by £19 billion over this year to £353 billion.
asserted
spending → forecast → billion
The Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts it will rise to £431 billion by the 2031-32 financial year, largely driven by health-related and pensioner benefits.
asserted
it → forecast → benefits
Ministers are awaiting the outcome of two reviews into aspects of the welfare system before they commit to sweeping changes aimed at reducing its costs.
asserted
they → await → costs
The Timms review, led by work and pensions minister Sir Stephen Timms, is investigating what changes could be made to the personal independence payment, the main disability benefit.
uncertain
changes → lead → payment
Elsewhere in the ITV interview, the Prime Minister revealed he has spoken to his predecessor Sir Keir Starmer, and former chancellor Rachel Reeves, since he assumed power.
asserted
he → reveal → power
“We’ve exchanged messages and we’ve always had a good working relationship.
asserted
we → exchange → relationship
We obviously had differences at times, for certain.
asserted
We → have → times
But, yeah, I do keep in touch with people,” Mr Burnham said.
asserted
Burnham → keep → people
#
Helen Whately, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said: “Andy Burnham would rather defend a bloated benefits bill than tackle the spiralling cost of welfare.
“You cannot keep pouring taxpayers’ money into welfare and pretend that is a plan for fixing the country.
“
asserted
that → say → country
Labour’s Work and Pensions Secretary said himself that all Labour MPs want to do is tax people more to pay for more benefits.
asserted
MPs → say → benefits
“Only the Conservatives have a plan to cut the welfare bill and deliver £36 billion of savings per year to make sure the system works for the taxpayers who pay for it.”
asserted
who → have → it
ITV News’s programme Burnham: Inside The First 100 Days will be broadcast on Tuesday night.
asserted
programme → broadcast → night
The Aporia
