Benefits could be slashed in the upcoming Autumn budget as the government looks to get more people into work.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hit out at what he called the 'national scandal' of around two million Brits 'not working at all' ahead of Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's budget announcement tomorrow. Speaking in North London on Monday (November 20), the PM vowed to 'do more to support those who can work to do so'.
He also suggested taxes could be cut as part of the plan. It comes as the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) hinted at a benefits squeeze after issuing notice of an 'ad hoc' update on welfare uprating last week.
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According to the Daily Mail, the Chancellor is said to be considering using last month's inflation figure of 4.6 per cent to set the increase for working-age benefits next year, instead of using September's figure of 6.7 per cent, which is the figure traditionally used for uprating welfare payments.
In his speech, the PM said that 'rewarding hard work also means reforming our welfare system'.
"We believe in the inherent dignity of a good job," he said. "And we believe that work – not welfare – is the best route out of poverty. Yet right now, around two million people of working age are not working at all.
"That is a national scandal and an enormous waste of human potential. So, we must do more to support those who can work, to do so. And we will clamp down on welfare fraudsters. Because the system must be fair for the taxpayers who fund it.
"By doing all of this, by getting people off welfare and into work, we can better support those genuinely in need of a safety net."
Mr Sunak would not speak on any firm plans for tomorrow's budget. However, the Treasury have denied suggestions there could be cuts to wealtheir pensioners' winter fuel payments.
