Rachel Reeves excluded one-turn on disability services reductions, but said that it “took into account” the representations of labor deputies and could modify the qualification rules for the advantages.
The chancellor said that “the social protection system does not work today” and that the changes that the government brought was necessary because 1,000 people a day claimed disability benefits.
Reeves said that the Expenditure plans she developed on Wednesday have all been completely expensive, but refused to exclude new tax increases in this fall budget in an “uncertain world”.
Pressed if she would change her mind on disability reductions, she said: “No, we are not going to change this. It is important that we reform the functioning of the welfare state, so that there is a welfare state there for people.”
“We are the only developed country where the number of people in the labor market is lower than that of COVID, the economically inactive number of people in the working age is increasing.”
But the Chancellor said that ministers could examine the changes they planned to make the qualification rules for personal independence payments (PIP).
Reeves said on the BBC Radio 4 program today: “We are examining the criteria to obtain PIPs and of course, we will take these representations into account. We have already announced that we are examining the criteria for access to personal independence payments.
“Even with these changes, we will considerably increase the amount of money that we pay in sickness and disability benefits during this parliament.”
In March, the workforce announced its intention to Save 5 billion pounds sterling per year By revising the social protection system, including by reducing personal independence payments for disabled people. The proposals sparked an alarm among labor deputies and the ministers considered adjustments before a vote expected later this month.
Under the government’s planned changes, the applicants would not qualify for PIPs unless they mark a minimum of four points on a single daily life activity. The evaluations note the difficulty from 0 to 12 to which the applicants face in a range of life activities such as the preparation and consumption of food, communication, washing and self-habiller.
Reeves also indicated that the government was open to lifting The two -children’s service ceilingSaying it was among “a range of ways we can get children out of poverty”.
After promoting the newsletter
Speaking in the morning after examination of expenses, Reeves denied the characterization that she was a “Klarna Chancellor” who provided plans to “buy now, pay later”.
“I don’t accept this at all. The idea that yesterday I accumulated an invoice that I will have to pay in the future is simply not correct. Last year, I had to increase taxes. I have now allocated this money in examination of health, security and economic growth expenses, but everything yesterday was fully cost and fully funded from last year’s budget. ”
Reeves said that none of the plans she expressed on Wednesday would need an increase in tax. However, she has repeatedly refused to exclude tax increases in the fall budget and insisted that “the world is very uncertain for the moment”.
“I think it would be very risky for a chancellor to try to write future budgets in a world as uncertain as ours,” she told LBC Radio. But she added: “I will not have to repeat a budget like the one I made last year.”
Pressed if the government’s spending plans assumed that the councils would increase the council tax by 5%, Reeves said that it was a ceiling established by the conservatives and that the advice could choose to increase the tax less.