PM Sir Keir Starmer says benefit system unfair and indefensible

News / Tue 11th Mar 2025 at 03:42pm

SIR Keir Starmer has called the current benefits system unsustainable, indefensible and unfair, and said the government could not “shrug its shoulders and look away” reports the BBC.

Addressing Labour MPs on Monday evening, the prime minister said the current welfare system was “the worst of all worlds”, discouraging people from working while producing a “spiralling bill”.

Click below for the full story.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0kgpyz3mmpo

13 Comments for PM Sir Keir Starmer says benefit system unfair and indefensible:

Resident

2025-03-11 17:03:18

As bad as the other lot, targeting the most vulnerable in society

Sodthisforalark

2025-03-11 19:22:26

It's like they never want to get voted in again.

Stuart J

2025-03-11 21:24:01

Well here we go again, l believe that we’ve been here before, in fact quite a number of times over the years. It always starts with the statement “there’s too many claimants, we’ve going get most of them off the benefits system and into work.” On paper it looks so easy to achieve. Well after a few feathers have been ruffed, noises from various pressure and welfare groups, cases highlighted in the media, it’s finally put back into the filing cabinet drawer marked “much too hard” and left for the next lot to sort out. Well Sir Kier, you did your best, along with all your other predecessors who tried and failed.

Gary Roberts

2025-03-12 07:38:24

Is this the Labour party of Attlee? No. Is it a Labour party? No. Starmer has no idea the rates of benefit at any level and has picked on the most vulnerable in society. It also appears he is suggesting benefit claimants are scroungers and do not want to work when many are also working. He is a disgrace. The banks and the millionaires are smiling with relief and contempt again.

Guy flegman

2025-03-12 08:12:16

Unfortunately the UK tax system is designed to keep you poor, and even if you do manage to progress in life it is very much a hard struggle. For some people the easier path is to work the benefits system. The fact that we have more people living on benefits than most other countries as a percentage of population tells you we have a problem. Unfortunately though every time our government tries to alter this the vulnerable who should be on benefits suffer while the people who work the system seem to be able to carry on as normal.

Kim

2025-03-12 09:13:02

Again targeting the most vulnerable in society... We will target all the vulnerable,, then we will ignore the voices of the people, it's easier that way.. When this happens you target all, there's no if or buts, we will just target them all, it's easier that way... DISGRACEFUL GOVERNMENT.

John

2025-03-12 09:49:26

Looks like Tories will win the next election.

David Forman

2025-03-12 10:04:52

Disgraceful bullying of the most vulnerable. Gary Roberts is correct to say that Starmer's crowd is no longer the Labour Party.

David Forman

2025-03-12 10:50:50

Guardian journalist Owen Jones, a Labour Party member for most of his life, describes this situation as "Labour's Sickening War Against the Vulnerable." See his viewpoint at https://youtu.be/TFZ7xfcCU7g?si=1yzFS12-gOSefgTC

Darren

2025-03-12 10:57:29

Well done Labour, Too many people with their hands out these days expecting the tax payer to fund their lifestyle while never paying in the system themselves

gary roberts

2025-03-12 12:13:54

Darren, could you explain your comment, "expecting the tax payer to fund their lifestyle while never paying in the system themselves". I suspect that comment is made without any knowledge of the benefits system.

Adam

2025-03-12 12:41:55

More people take out than contribute, even if working and are "paying" tax, there are less and less net contributor's (especially as they are fed up of being seen as cash cows), we are broke this was always going to happen. What is needed is low tax, low regulation economy which rewards hard work and risk taking not one which punishes success like the current system.

Surinder

2025-03-16 12:05:13

Tend to agree with Adam. Any government serious about stimulating growth could look the example of the Baltic States that introduced a Flat Tax. The UK and many western countries have highly cumbersome and inefficient, costly systems employing thousands of non-productive bureaucrats and accountants. Roll income tax and NI into a single flat rate of say 25% starting at £ 28,000 p.a. Anyone earning under that pays nothing. Get rid of Tax Credits and all the administration and have Corporation Tax at 18% fixed. Investment, entrepreneurship and effort would flourish , avoiding so much time and effort spent on avoiding tax. The countries that have done this have flourished. Unfortunately, no British government has either the guts or the wisdom to do this.