Email leak uncovers planned Tory welfare cuts to child benefit and more
The Conservative party is planning to slash a range of welfare benefits after the election, according to emails discovered by the BBC.
Officials have reported that new restrictions will prevent citizens from claiming child benefit for more than two children. The industrial injuries benefit will also be slashed and firms will be asked to pick up the cost.
The BBC revealed that if companies do not have an insurance policy, they will have to pay a levy to fund a default scheme. Getting rid of the industrial injuries benefit may save the government £1bn, according to The Guardian.
Similarly, these new child benefit restrictions could one day save another £1bn but initial savings will be limited.
Further benefit cuts described include proposals made by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) such as a regional benefits cap, taxing disability benefits and reducing eligibility for the carers’ allowance.
The Tories have said they wish to trim the welfare budget by £12bn by 2017-18 but will not reveal how until after the general election in May. Conservative representatives responded to the BBC leak by claiming the proposals were not party policy.
A spokesperson for pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith told The Guardian: “This is ill-informed and inaccurate speculation. Officials spend a lot of time generating proposals – many not commissioned by politicians. It’s wrong and misleading to suggest that any of this is part of our plan.”