Campaigners are calling on the Labour government to protect benefits claimants from any potential cuts to welfare. The Department for Work and Pensions has been urged not to proceed with welfare reductions to fund defence spending.
Andy Burnham's Stance on Welfare Reform
Andy Burnham, a potential future prime minister if he wins the Makerfield byelection, told The Times that he would not be hesitant about reducing the welfare bill. However, he ruled out "crude" short-term cuts, instead advocating for long-term plans to "support people into work."
Welfare vs. Defence Debate
Frances Ryan, writing in The Guardian, warned that the "welfare v warfare" narrative has been building for some time. She stated: "Whether it's Starmer or a successor, the pressure to keep raising defence spending – and cut other areas to pay for it – is not going anywhere."
Ryan added: "That these choices are not easy betrays the truth few are willing to admit: protecting its people from poverty, prejudice and ill health is as much the duty of the state as keeping them safe from war."
Impact on Safety
Frances said: "While we need protecting from foreign enemies, slashing benefits in favour of defence will make millions less, not more, safe."
Burnham's Vision
Mr Burnham said: "I am not squeamish about saying that the plan would be to reduce the welfare bill. Not at all." But he added: "It is not the traditional Westminster way of just crude cuts, short-term cuts that then create a backlash and create more political turbulence. It is actually going to do things that will reduce the benefits bill, moving towards a more preventative state that makes the right investments to support people into work."
He expressed support for increased defence funding but said: "I would say it's defence and security but also resilience." He continued: "We do not have a preventative, productive, growth-enabling state. We are doing the opposite. We end up dealing with crises and spending huge amounts of money supporting people in a crisis situation rather than into much, much earlier intervention to a more positive outcome."
