A Labour minister defending the UK government’s £5 billion welfare cuts has conceded that he would struggle to live on the £70 weekly universal credit payment that many young people are now expected to survive on.
Torsten Bell, the pensions minister and former chief executive of the left-leaning Resolution Foundation think tank, acknowledged in an interview that the cuts involved “tough choices.”
Under the current system, unemployed individuals under 25 can claim around £70 per week in universal credit to assist with living costs. Personal Independence Payments (PIP), which supplement income for those with disabilities, are also being reformed. The tightening of eligibility criteria means that nearly one million people are set to lose access to PIP.
When questioned about the impact of these changes, Bell admitted he “absolutely could not survive on just £70 per week.” Pressed on why young people are expected to do so, he responded: “Well no, I have a mortgage to pay,” before adding that the benefits system provides housing support for young people.
Bell defended the reforms, claiming the existing system is a “disaster for young people” and accused left-wing critics of “defending a Tory benefit system.”
Despite the government’s assurances, criticism has poured in from all sides. Labour’s former shadow chancellor John McDonnell condemned the move.
“Torsten Bell has just accused me of defending a Tory welfare system. That is a lie. I have consistently called for reform of the system but not a reform based upon billions of pounds of cuts that will harm and put the lives of disabled people at risk.”
John McDonnell
McDonnell warned in the House of Commons that changing PIP eligibility criteria to find up to £5 billion in savings would cause “immense suffering and – we’ve seen it in the past – loss of life.”
Labour MP Clive Lewis also criticized the reforms, questioning whether ministers grasped the “pain and difficulty that this will cause millions of people.” Meanwhile, Debbie Abrahams, chair of the Work and Pensions Committee, accused the government of “balancing the books on the backs of sick and disabled people.”
In response, Bell assured that “people with significant disabilities will be protected,” emphasizing that those currently receiving universal credit due to health conditions would continue to do so. He insisted that individuals with severe disabilities could still apply for PIP, despite the tightened criteria.
Government Justifies Cuts, Cites Unsustainable Costs
Defending the decision, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall argued that the changes were necessary, stating that the UK’s social security system is “failing the very people it is supposed to help and holding our country back.” She revealed that 1,000 new PIP claims were being made every week, a level she deemed “unsustainable.”
The £5 billion savings are expected to be achieved by 2030, with most reductions falling on PIP by raising the qualification threshold. However, ministers have not ruled out further cuts beyond this initial plan.
The announcement has deepened divisions within the Labour Party, with growing concerns that these reforms will disproportionately impact vulnerable communities. Critics argue that, rather than helping young people and those with disabilities, the changes risk pushing more individuals into hardship.
Despite the barrage of criticism, Sir Keir Starmer, “This government will always protect the most severely disabled people to live with dignity.”
“But we’re not prepared to stand back and do nothing while millions of people – especially young people – who have potential to work and live independent lives, instead become trapped out of work and abandoned by the system. It would be morally bankrupt to let their life chances waste away.”
Keir Starmer
As pressure mounts, the government faces increasing scrutiny over the long-term consequences of its approach to welfare reform.
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