The Work and Pensions Committee has pressed Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng to honour the commitment made by the former Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, to uprate benefits in April 2023 in line with the September 2022 Consumer Price Index (CPI) rate.
When questioned in Parliament, the Chancellor stated that the UK Government “will make announcements about that in due course,” sparking doubts about the likelihood of uprating. The Secretary of State is required by law to review certain benefit rates annually to ensure they retain their value.
Prime Minister, Liz Truss, is highly anticipated to comment on the uprating in her speech during the final day of the Conservative Party conference today. She has previously refused to rule out real-term cuts in welfare payments despite saying State Pension would rise in line with inflation, but declined to commit to the annual uprating of benefits in line with inflation.
