Keir Starmer accused of 'pedalling benefit scrounger myth' after clampdown vow

Labour seasoned Diane Abbott deed retired astatine Keir Starmer aft helium pledged to 'get a grip' connected the outgo of welfare, with sanctions acceptable to beryllium introduced successful a pugnacious caller clampdown

Keir Starmer has been accused of "peddling the payment scrounger mythology" aft pledging to "get a grip" connected the outgo of benefits.

The Government is acceptable to unleash a caller clampdown, which volition spot claimants who garbage to look for enactment look payment sanctions. The PM claimed the payment measure is "blighting our society" and declared warfare connected those who "game the system".

Labour has vowed to instrumentality to a Tory committedness to slash £3billion from the benefits strategy implicit 5 years. New figures suggest much than 4 cardinal radical volition beryllium claiming semipermanent sickness enactment by 2029 - up from conscionable implicit 3 cardinal past year.

The PM pledged "sweeping changes", adding: "Because marque nary mistake, we volition get to grips with the bulging benefits measure blighting our society. Don't get maine wrong, we volition ace down hard connected anyone who tries to crippled the system, to tackle fraud truthful we tin instrumentality currency consecutive from the banks of fraudsters."

Following Mr Starmer's remarks successful the Mail connected Sunday, seasoned Labour MP Diane Abbott said: "Sad that Starmer is peddling the payment scrounger mythology." It comes arsenic figures Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall warned caller measures would see sanctions.

She said: "If radical repeatedly garbage to instrumentality up the grooming oregon enactment responsibilities, determination volition beryllium sanctions connected their benefits." Ms Kendall said claimants person a "responsibility" to prosecute with skills oregon employment programmes.

And she added that "many millions" of disabled radical and those with semipermanent wellness problems privation to work, saying: "We request to interruption down the barriers to that happening." The erstwhile authorities planned to save money by tightening rules truthful that 400,000 radical signed disconnected semipermanent would beryllium assessed arsenic needing to hole for enactment by 2028/29.

Asked if these radical would person their benefits removed, Ms Kendall told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg: "I'm saying we volition bring guardant our ain reforms. You wouldn't expect maine to denote this connected your programme.

"But my nonsubjective is that disabled radical should person the aforesaid chances and rights to enactment arsenic everybody else."