The Guardian view on welfare reform: time to retire lazy myths and stereotypes | Editorial
The Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts the growth in welfare spending over the next five years at 0.2%-0.5% of gross domestic product, from £353bn this year to £431bn in 2032.
Key points
- There are rival demands on the state’s resources and a reasonable debate to be had about priorities at the Department for Work and Pensions.
- Too much political rhetoric around the subject assumes that it is in the latter one.
- But that is not the tone of the debate routinely conducted in Westminster.
A speech by the leader of the opposition exemplifies much that is wrong with the way British politics conventionally talks about benefit claimants There is a big difference between expenditure that is rising and a rise that is “out of control”.
Additional details
- The amount Britain spends on social security is in the former category.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
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