CHANCELLOR SAYS WELFARE BILL WILL NOT FALL THIS PARLIAMENT

The Chancellor told Krishnan Guru-Murthy that the welfare bill would not fall during this Parliament. Speaking at the Rolls-Royce factory in Derby, he said: “it’s not correct to say that we’re going to bring this welfare bill down in this Parliament.” Earlier that morning, John Healey had been asked whether there would be welfare cuts before the election. Healey replied: “There will be, there will be a reduction in the benefits bill”.

Healey said Labour would reduce the bill “in a Labour way”. He said a growing benefits bill was “simply not good for Britain or progressive”. Healey also said he felt a moral duty to help young people whom, he said, previous governments had written off. He added that he was not prepared to see that continue in the future.

The Treasury said it would bring the bill down in 2030/31. It called the interpretation that Healey had promised a reduction before the election an “over-interpretation of the exchange”. The Treasury added that, had he intended to make that commitment, he would have included it in the Budget statement. A No 10 spokesman repeated the Treasury’s account at lunchtime.