The News Agents Will Labour go to war over welfare?
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Mar 17, 2025 Keir Starmer faces backlash within his party over the welfare system, which many view as a disguise for austerity measures. Debates intensify about the rising number of claims for sickness benefits, especially among youth. Meanwhile, Donald Trump controversially asserts he has overturned Biden's pardons, raising questions about constitutional limits on presidential power. This episode probes into the implications of these political maneuvers and how they reflect broader challenges facing both the UK and US governance.
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UK Sickness Benefit Surge
- Sickness benefit claims have surged since 2019, with 1.8 million more people claiming, especially young people.
- This increase is driven by mental health conditions, with Britain being an outlier compared to other industrialized countries.
Contentious Overdiagnosis Claim
- While mental health problems rose during the pandemic globally, the number of people on benefits hasn't decreased in Britain like in other European countries.
- Wes Streeting's comment about overdiagnosis is seen as contentious within the Labour government.
Labour's PIP Backtrack
- The Labour government backtracked on freezing personal independence payments (PIP) after facing backlash, including criticism from George Osborne.
- Rachel Reeves, seeking welfare bill savings, considered the freeze, but Labour backbenchers remain unconvinced about other proposed changes.