Veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott has attacked Keir Starmer after he vowed to “get a grip” on the cost of the welfare state by introducing tougher benefit sanctions.
In an article in the Mail on Sunday, the prime minister promised “sweeping changes” to lighten the £137 billion bill for welfare benefits – including a crackdown on cheats – claiming it won’t be “business as usual”.
His comments came as Labour pledged to uphold a Tory commitment to cut £3 billion from the benefits system over five years.
Sir Keir Starmer added: “Make no mistake, we will get to grips with the bulging benefits bill blighting our society. Don’t get me wrong, we will crack down hard on anyone who tries to game the system, to tackle fraud so we can take cash straight from the banks of fraudsters.”
In response to the article, the mother of the House of Commons and Labour veteran Diane Abbott shared her disappointment, saying it is “sad that Starmer is peddling the benefit scrounger mythology.”
Ms Abbott’s comment was backed up by former Labour MP Rosie Duffield, who quit the party in September. She asked: “Where’s the Labour government that was elected?”
The intervention comes ahead of a legislative package to be announced tomorrow by work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall focused on “getting Britain working”. More than four million people will be claiming long-term sickness benefits by 2030, according to estimates, a rise of 60 per cent from pre-pandemic levels.
