Tag: uturn
Welfare U-turn makes spending decisions harder, minister tells BBC
Spending decisions have been made “harder” by the government’s U-turn on welfare changes, the education secretary has said, as she did not commit to scrapping the two-child benefit cap. Bridget Phillipson told BBC One’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme that ministers were “looking at every lever” to lift children out of poverty. But she said…
The benefits U-turn raises deeper questions about the credibility of Labour’s long-term plan
About a quarter of the working age population – those aged 16 to 64 – do not currently have a job. Caring responsibilities and ill health are the most common reasons given by those who would like one. With a four-year mandate and a towering majority, Labour might have been expected to have invested in…
We’ve got the right balance, says PM after benefits U-turn
Sir Keir Starmer has said his welfare reforms strike “the right balance” after making concessions to his own backbench MPs. The government’s initial plans, aimed at bringing down the welfare bill, would have made it harder for people to claim personal independence payment (Pip), a benefit paid to 3.7 million people with long-term physical or…
Three-quarters of pensioners to get winter fuel payment after U-turn
More than three-quarters of pensioners will receive the winter fuel payment this year after Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed a major policy U-turn. Nine million pensioners in England and Wales with an annual income of £35,000 or less will now be eligible. The policy was widely blamed for Labour’s poor local election results. Reeves said the…
Winter fuel payments to be reinstated this year as PM challenged over U-turn
Changes to the winter fuel payment to allow more people to receive it will be in place this year, the chancellor has said. Rachel Reeves said more people would qualify for the allowance “this winter”, however details of the changes and who will be eligible remain unclear. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he…
Starmer announces U-turn on winter fuel payment cuts
Sir Keir Starmer has announced plans to ease cuts to winter fuel payments, in a U-turn following mounting political pressure in recent weeks. More than nine million pensioners lost out on the payments, worth up to £300, when eligibility for the pension top-up was tightened last year. Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir said…
Israelis free to play at World Indoor Bowls Championships after U-turn
Israeli players will now be free to compete at next month’s World Indoor Bowls Championships in Norfolk after tournament organisers revoked a ban. Three Israelis had been expected to play at the tournament in Hopton-on-Sea – with Daniel Alomin due to feature in the singles and Amnon Amar and Itai Rigbi in the pairs –…