A split has emerged within Labour after the work and pensions secretary warned against attempts to reform the benefits bill by shifting the burden onto taxpayers.
Pat McFadden also appeared to double down on his comments about welfare reform, revealed in the Mandelson files earlier this week, when he complained about Labour MPs: “Every meeting I have is ‘who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others’.”
He added that MPs were “asking the wrong questions”.
Rachel Reeves unveiled deeper welfare cuts in last year’s spring statement after the government’s spending watchdog warned her plans to save £5bn would likely save just £3.4bn.
Mr McFadden defended his efforts to reform the welfare system on GB News. “We need to change the question that the welfare system asks,” he said.
“What I mean by that is we need to move from a question, which just asks what benefits are you entitled to, to a question that says how can we help you change your life.
“I think that is a progressive welfare reform question, because it puts work and opportunity at the heart of what you’re trying to do, I’ve been saying that in public and in private for a long time.”
He added: “I don’t think you can or should do welfare reform just by saying ‘here’s a sum of money we’ve got to save’, and then you graft on the policy afterwards.”
At PMQs, the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch taunted Sir Keir Starmer over Mr McFadden’s comments, including one made amid a backbench rebellion on welfare.
Ms Badenoch said: “Does the prime minister agree with his welfare secretary, that that was when he lost his authority?”
Sir Keir replied: “I’m proud of what we’re delivering on this side of the house. The fastest growing economy in the G7.”
Ms Badenoch also accused the PM of giving up on bringing down welfare costs because his party has “given up on him”.
The PM responded: “All the measures we are doing to reform welfare, all the measures we’re taking to get young people into work, are measures to reduce the cost and the numbers of people who are unemployed.”
He added: “They introduced the system that is broken. We’re reforming it.
“Did they vote to reform it with us? No, they voted to keep the broken system.”
