The Institute for Fiscal Studies warns that to balance the books, benefits cuts may reach up to £1,200 a year for disabled and long-term sick individuals. Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall plans to cut around £5bn in benefits, focusing on working-age welfare claimants, with fears that the annual bill for these benefits could reach £70bn by 2030. Despite the OECD downgrading the UK’s growth forecasts, the government insists that benefits cuts are not necessary, but the IFS director Paul Johnson warns of limited room for maneuver in the upcoming spring statement.
Full Article
Overflowing prisons trigger emergency measure to house inmates in police cells
The Justice secretary has activated Operation Safeguard to house prisoners in police cells due to overcrowding in jails, with only 824 places left in the adult male estate. This emergency measure will free up hundreds of cells but could cost the government millions, with previous activation costing £30.2 million between February and July 2023. The Police Federation of England and Wales has expressed concerns about officers being diverted from core duties and facing additional dangers,...
Read more