Burnham wants a 'fair and sustainable' approach to welfare. That means targeting the underlying causes of people's need to claim benefits - which is far more popular with the public (59%) than cutting eligibility (20%) or benefit rates (8%). 1/3

Andy Burnham described “the fair and sustainable way to bring the welfare bill down" in his 1st speech as prime minister today. New @jrf-uk.bsky.social analysis shows why tackling underlying problems with jobs, health & housing, not “crude cuts”, would be a popular & lasting approach. 1/10

🧵 1/ The Milburn Review is right to sound the alarm 🚨 Rising numbers of young people out of work or education should concern all of us. This reflects deep, structural challenges - not a short-term blip.

📣 New from @jrf-uk.bsky.social Blunt cuts to social security don’t work- we need to tackle root causes of need. Hitting govt 80% employment target would reduce Universal Credit spend by £10bn Polling shows 59% public want causes to be tackled. Just 20% want restricted eligibility & 8% cut rates.

Social security is carrying too much of the cost of economic failure elsewhere A policy reset is clearly needed In a new @jrf-uk.bsky.social paper, we argue that addressing the drivers of economic insecurity can sustainably ease pressure on the income safety net and improve living standards

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 2mo ago

Focus on jobs, not benefits, to cut welfare bill, says thinktank

The @healthfoundation.bsky.social have now looked at how this compares with 20 other high-income countries: health.org.uk/reports-and-.... Picture is grim. The UK saw the second biggest fall in healthy life expectancy over the decade to 2021, beaten only by the US.

Peter Matejic@statspeter.bsky.social · 4mo ago

How long have you got to live and live healthily? It’s well known that people in less deprived areas live longer. Let’s look at a boy born in 2023 in the most deprived tenth of areas. They can expect to live 10 years fewer than a boy born in the least deprived tenth of areas.

🗣️ 'Benefits have never been set according to any logical calculation, like the cost of food and bills.' For @theleaduk.bsky.social, Senior Policy Adviser @iainkporter.bsky.social makes the urgent case for an independent process to set Universal Credit levels 👇 https://bit.ly/3MkEaZp

This is how we fix Universal Credit

The basic rate of benefit support falls woefully short – Iain Porter, senior policy advisor at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, explains what needs to happen now.

national.thelead.uk

As Parliament debates annual benefits 'uprating' today, great to see MPs calling out how arbitrary the process is. Support isn't linked to any calculation of essential costs, meaning 5 in 6 low-income families on Universal Credit going without essentials: labourlist.org/2026/02/valu...

'Putting our values into action: Labour should make social security work for everyone who needs it' - LabourList

Catherine West MP argues we need an independent, evidence-led body to asses Universal Credit to ensure it works for everyone who needs it.

labourlist.org

🌞Today is a turning point, as legislation to remove the two child limit starts to make its way through parliament. The policy was a terrible idea. It drove poverty up and future prospects down. @jrf-uk.bsky.social has joined 65 orgs to urge all MPs to stand with children & support the Bill.

MPs will soon debate the annual benefits ‘Uprating Order' on how much benefits rise this year. But shockingly, support has never been set according to any logical calculation, like ensuring Universal Credit covers life's essentials - which @jrf-uk.bsky.social estimates cost £120 a week🧵1/4

Poverty is deepening. 🔎 Our #UKPoverty2026 report was launched this morning. People in very deep poverty now make up the biggest group of people in poverty, at 6.8 million people. This is unacceptable for the fifth richest country in the world, and it has consequences.

New DWP forecasts show that spending on working-age social security is expected to be stable over the rest of the parliament at 5.1% of GDP This is a slight increase from the Spring, but is mainly for welcome reasons like removing the two-child limit and reversing some of the cuts put forward then

New analysis suggests the recent rise in health-related benefit claims is likely to be partly explained by the sharp drop in real incomes from the cost of living crisis. Social security should be there for any of us when we need it, such as losing a job or becoming unwell.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies@theifs.bsky.social · 8mo ago

NEW: Cuts to non-health-related benefits caused increases in disability benefit claims, our new report finds. 📗 Jonathan Cribb, @heidikarj.bsky.social, @eduinlatimer.bsky.social, Sam Ray-Chaudhuri and Tom Waters examine the impact of four cuts to benefits in the 2010s [THREAD:🧵]:

🚨 New analysis alert! Our latest modelling shows that living standards are still set to fall across this Parliament up to November 2029. However, actions taken at the Budget have made this decline less pronounced *by more than half* for low-income households.

Chancellor said lifting 2-child limit means "Biggest reduction in child poverty over a Parliament since records began." Estimated 400k reduction would be, but modelling is always uncertain. What is certain is that removing the 2 Child Limit is pivotal to the fall.

Every child, no matter their background, deserves to have a good start in life. Ethnic minority children were disproportionately impacted by the two child limit which widens ethnic disparities in child poverty rates. Scrapping this cruel policy to lift 450000 children out of poverty is a huge win!

Today the OBR finally published employment impacts of Govt’s (remaining) disability benefit cuts, which weren’t ready in the spring. Confirms @jrf-uk.bsky.social analysis at the time that these huge cuts to disabled people’s incomes come with relatively few expected to move into work. 🧵1/3

Scrapping the two-child limit is a vital step towards achieving the Government's manifesto pledge to reduce child poverty and give more children the best start in life. 📉 Estimates show child poverty decreasing by 450,000 by 2029-30 as a result. metro.co.uk/2025/11/26/t...

Two-child benefit cap scrapped by Chancellor Rachel Reeves

metro.co.uk

Brilliant to see that the two-child limit will be scrapped, lifting 450,000 children out of poverty in 2029/30

🎉Child poverty is at a record high, so the decision to end the two child limit is crucial Poverty holds children back, with consequences for all of us. Every child should have a good start in life This measure alone lifts 450,000 out of poverty & lessens severity for many more

No one in the UK should experience destitution - wherever they were born – and destitution should never be an acceptable outcome of policy. But some policies announced in the Home Secretary’s asylum statement risk increasing destitution. 🧵1/7 www.gov.uk/government/p...

Universal Credit was missing a crucial objective from its inception: to address poverty. 15 years on, it’s time we made Universal Credit the poverty-fighting system it could be, writes @iainkporter.bsky.social for @bigissue.com https://bit.ly/4pc0PVB

It's time we made universal credit the game changer it can be

In November 2010, the coalition government published its white paper detailing its plans for universal credit. How much has changed?

bigissue.com

📒 Government published Sir Charlie Mayfield's ‘Keep Britain Working’ report today. An ambitious framework for how employers can support workers in ill-health. Focus must be here to shift the dial on employment of disabled people & benefit spend, not cutting people's benefits. 🧵

Population Health Improvement UK@phiuk.bsky.social · 9mo ago

This morning's reading: "Employers join forces with government to tackle ill-health and keep Britain working" from Department of Health and Social Care www.gov.uk/government/n...

Great to be at powerful @turn2us.org.uk report launch in Parliament today, alongside @jrf-uk.bsky.social colleagues! Our social security system should be there for all of us when we need support, and treat people with compassion, dignity and respect #StopTheStigma

📊 Latest inflation figures published this morning show that CPI inflation sat at 3.8% for September. Why does this month's figure matter more? The government will use it to inform how much to uprate benefits by from April 2026. 🔽

We learnt today that annual CPI inflation was 3.8% in September 2025. The Universal Credit Act 2025 increases the rate of the standard allowance in Universal Credit by 2.3% after applying this inflation, meaning an increase of around 6.2% in April 2026.

New DWP data today shows 123,000 families – including 103,000 (over 4 in 5) with children – had their Universal Credit reduced by the benefit cap in May 2025. This eats into UC’s already inadequate basic rate, pulling it further below what’s needed to afford life's essentials. 1/6

Govt dropped cuts to PIP, but today's Committee report highlights MPs' concerns that many disabled people will be pushed into poverty by remaining cuts to Universal Credit's health element. In evidence to the inquiry I warned of the hardship this will cause. 1/5 www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Tens of thousands at risk of poverty despite Labour’s benefit U-turn, MPs warn

Changes to welfare reforms not enough to protect newly sick and disabled people from financial hardship

theguardian.com

Over 1.6m children are now impacted by the Two-Child Limit - 11.6% of all children This is a cruel policy that unnecessarily drags children into deeper levels of hardship It needs to go, and the longer it is kept, the greater the scarring effects on children's health and education will be

Katie Schmuecker @katieschmuecker.bsky.social · last yr.

The latest @jrf-uk.bsky.social cost of living tracker (May 2025) reveals the depth of hardship among low income families with 3+ children 🛑Almost 9 in 10 (88%) went without essentials in the previous 6 months 🛑 8 in 10 (82%) were in arrears 🛑7 in 10 (71%) held a loan taken out to pay for essentials.

Actually around 50,000 people will be pulled into poverty by remaining cuts in Bill - based on Govt’s impact assessments. @jrf-uk.bsky.social previously showed how DWP sleight of hand underplayed true poverty impact – same applies to this latest publication. 🧵1/3 www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Welfare bill will now lift 50,000 out of poverty after U-turns, assessment finds

Revised bill passed after UK government rowed back on cuts will mean fewer rather than more people in relative poverty in 2030

theguardian.com