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OVER the past few weeks Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves and Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall have all been saying the right things about Britain’s burgeoning welfare budget.

On Monday night, the Prime Minister told Labour MPs that the benefits system is rewarding the workshy while making life difficult for people who genuinely need help. “That’s unsustainable, it’s indefensible and it is unfair,” he said.

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Sir Keir Starmer told MPs that the benefits system is rewarding the workshy while making life difficult for people who genuinely need help[/caption]

EPA

Rachel Reeves has increased benefits in line with inflation while lumbering the working population with extra tax[/caption]

“People feel that in their bones. It runs contrary to deep British values that if you can work, you should.”

I can’t disagree with that.

So why don’t I feel confident that, come the spring statement in a couple of weeks’ time, the Government really will make the required changes?

Trouble is that Labour spent 14 years protesting about the evils of “austerity” whenever the then Conservative government proposed to remove so much as a bean from the welfare budget.

Labour remains stuffed with MPs who have a kneejerk response always to support benefit claimants against government cuts.

Britain’s welfare problem has crept up on us over the past decade.

The Conservatives actually made a good start in trimming the welfare bill and getting people back into work.

Between 2010 and 2017 the numbers of people on out-of-work benefits fell from 4.1 million to 3.6 million.

It seemed as if Tory promises to “make work pay” were bearing fruit.

Yet for some reason, the Conservatives lost their discipline.

From 2017, the numbers claiming out-of-work benefit began to creep up again.

This was well before Covid, but the pandemic did lead to an acceleration in benefit claims — which has failed to slow down in the years since.

There are now 5.95 million people claiming out-of-work benefits.

If current trends continue, estimates the Office for Budgetary Responsibility, by 2028 nearly one in 12 British workers will officially be too sick to work.

Some people, needless to say, blame “long Covid” for the rise.

But why has no other country seen such a shocking increase? And why do numbers continue to rise even now?

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Hundreds of thousands of people are being shunted on to benefits without any requirement ever to seek work[/caption]

Since the pandemic, there has been a huge rise in the number of Work Capability Assessments being carried out remotely.

Workshy underclass

While that was inevitable during lockdown, just ten per cent of claimants were assessed face to face last year.

Two thirds of WCAs are now carried out by telephone, while 13 per cent are mere paper exercises.

Surprise, surprise, claimants who don’t have to be assessed in person have a far higher chance of their claim succeeding.

Why has no other country seen such a shocking increase? And why do numbers continue to rise even now?

Of those given face-to-face assessments last year, 53 per cent were passed as unfit for work.

Among telephone interviewees it was 61 per cent and those given desktop assessments 99 per cent.

To put it bluntly: Hundreds of thousands of people are being shunted on to benefits without any requirement ever to seek work and without even being seen by a doctor or any other official.

It is hardly any wonder that we have ended up with an underclass of workshy people who would rather sponge off the taxpayer than put in a day’s work.

To compound the problem, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has increased benefits in line with inflation while lumbering the working population with extra tax.

She claims to have spared working ­people, yet more and more people are being sucked into income tax, and into the higher tax bracket, thanks to her decision to continue the freeze on ­allowances.

The 40 per cent rate, meant only for high earners when Nigel Lawson introduced it in 1988, is steadily becoming the standard rate of income tax. What kind of incentive to work is that?

With the spring statement, Reeves has a choice with welfare. Does she tickle around at the edges or does she attempt something much more radical?

There is nothing kind, or humane, about dumping people on benefits for years on end

Nearly three decades ago, John Major’s government tried the latter: It carried out a trial where 6,800 benefit claimants in Medway were put on compulsory work placements.

If they didn’t turn up, they didn’t get paid. Opponents damned it as “workfare” but the results were astounding.

Nearly half the people in the trial simply stopped claiming — presumably because they were claiming fraudulently in the first place.

Some of them might have been living abroad or didn’t even exist.

The trial was so successful that even left-wing columnist Polly Toynbee was impressed, declaring, “Workfare really works.”

But with Blair’s election in 1997 the momentum was lost and no government has attempted anything similar since.

Why not the present government? There is nothing kind, or humane, about ­dumping people on benefits for years on end.

Nor can the economy withstand such huge numbers of idle people — it is little wonder we have such feeble economic growth.

True, there will always be some people who are genuinely too sick to work and do deserve help.

But for the majority of people on out-of-work benefits, the days of idling should be brought to an end.

They should be assessed for work face to face, and if they pass, they should be given the choice: Accept a work placement or go without any help from the state.

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Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall[/caption]

A FORMER aide to Margaret Thatcher recalls the time she collared the civil servant in charge of furnishing government offices.

Pointing to an armchair, she thundered: “It’s just been upholstered and cost £1,200. I phoned John Lewis and was told they could have done it for £180!”

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Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has spent more than £250k on 19 trips abroad since October 2022[/caption]

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The huge sums spent globetrotting on our behalf by a man that 90 per cent of people wouldn’t recognise in the street are jaw-dropping[/caption]

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We could do with a little more of Margaret Thatcher’s prudent housekeeping mentality in today’s politics[/caption]

Whatever your view of Maggie’s politics, it’s undeniable that we could do with a little more of her prudent housekeeping mentality in today’s politics.

Which brings me to Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle’s vastly extravagant expenses bills footed by the taxpayer.

At first, his office insisted that “all expenses and costs are processed and published in line with rules”, but yesterday it admitted to a simple “admin error” over one of the trips.

Either way, the huge sums spent globetrotting on our behalf by a man that 90 per cent of people wouldn’t recognise in the street are so jaw-dropping that the damage is done.

It’s been reported that, since October 2022, he’s spent more than £250k on 19 trips abroad.

And more than £180k of that was spent on first and business class flights alone as, splutter, he won’t fly economy.

We also paid for his limousines, luxury hotel stays and dining experiences in some of the world’s finest restaurants.

On top of all that, it seems that his wife, Lady Catherine Hoyle, has accompanied her husband on many of the supposedly business trips.

A plumber wouldn’t take his/her other half to watch them fit someone’s bathroom, so why the hell does a politician’s wife go along for the ride?

The Hoyles say her expenses are covered by them personally, but when it comes to hotels and restaurants, are the bills really painstakingly separated?

“My wife had the bread basket, not me.” Yeah, right.

One of the trips they took — to LA — was so he could give a talk to politics students at the University of California.

Seriously? Of what use is that to the British taxpayer?

The university should have footed the bill and, if not, he could easily have been beamed in via Zoom and saved us a fortune.

Instead, on top of the flights, he spent £3k on limos and another £3k on accommodation.

With the UK’s social care funding in the toilet, it’s obscene expenditure more in keeping with a tinpot dictatorship.

On top of that, he billed nearly £16k for four trips to Gibraltar.

Business class

On one jaunt there, he claimed £2k for business class flights, £1,320 for accommodation and £700 for food and drink — saying it was for him and three staff members.

Business class to Gibraltar? The flight’s under three hours, for god’s sake.

If they were going there on holiday, would they fork out two grand for the privilege of a slightly wider seat and a better quality bread roll? Doubt it.

When it comes to ‘other people’s money’ (i.e. ours) it seems that Sir Lindsay adopts the spend, spend, spend mentality

An economy flight to Gibraltar on easyJet this very morning would cost you £63.99 outbound and as low as £12.99 to return a week later.

But when it comes to “other people’s money” (i.e. ours) it seems that Sir Lindsay adopts the spend, spend, spend mentality.

Few would take issue with the PM and senior Cabinet ministers flying business class long haul while representing the UK abroad.

But the Speaker should be sticking to his job of, among other things, being MP for Chorley, Lancashire, and correcting MPs (oh the irony) if they have misled the House of Commons.

And in his spare time, he could perhaps pop into the John Lewis sale and pick up some bargain scatter cushions for some of those bum-numbingly long parliamentary sessions.

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Few would take issue with Sir Keir Starmer and senior Cabinet ministers flying business class long haul while representing the UK abroad[/caption]

HIDER FINE A FARCE

Unpixs

WHEN Adrian and Joanne Fenton returned from a trip to France and found a Sudanese man hiding in the bike rack of their motorhome, their first instinct was to call the police.

The result? The couple, from Heybridge in Essex, were issued with a £1,500 fine from the Home Office for failing to “check no clandestine entrant was concealed” in their vehicle.

Er, isn’t that what the Border Force is for?

Meanwhile, the illegal migrant – who, natch, told police he was “16” – was taken away, no doubt to a hotel at the taxpayer’s expense.

The Fentons warn their story will deter other people from “doing the right thing” and they’re damned right.

I’ll bet they wish they’d just given him £20 for food and waved him off into the night.

SIZING UP ‘FAT’ ROLES

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Ariana Grande at the recent SAG awards in Hollywood[/caption]

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Demi Moore also attended the bash[/caption]

NOT much was sagging at the recent SAG awards in Hollywood, thanks to the obvious fondness of certain attendees for weight-loss jabs.

And it’s the same story at the Oscars, Brits and any other awards ceremony you care to mention.

Of course, there’s long been a terrible pressure on female stars in particular to stay slim and wrinkle-free unless they want to be cast as the mother of a male lead the same age as them.

So you can perhaps understand the trend.

But the good news for anyone who bucks it is that they’ll clean up with roles that Hollywood might describe as the “fat friend” but the rest of us regard as entirely normal in size.

MUSK MAMAS PUZZLE

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Why Elon Musk’s ‘baby mamas’ chose to take part in procreating his offspring is anyone’s guess[/caption]

RECENTLY, I wrote about Elon Musk’s alleged 13 children.

Since then, Shivon Zilis, who has three-year-old twins Strider and Azure and one-year-old Arcadia with Musk, has tweeted: “Discussed with Elon and, in light of beautiful Arcadia’s birthday, we felt it was better to also just share directly about our wonderful and incredible son Seldon Lycurgus.”

You can get an ointment for that.

So the alleged count is now at 14.

Musk is a pronatalist in favour of high birth rates, so that perhaps explains his fondness for offspring whose lives he appears to drift in and out of when it suits him.

But why his “baby mamas” (yuck) take part in this arrangement is anyone’s guess.

WHEN SIT HITS THE FAN

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Hertfordshire-based estate agent Nicholas Walker cited constructive unfair dismissal after being told a junior colleague had taken a ‘symbolically significant’ desk[/caption]

AN employment tribunal has ruled that asking a senior member of staff to sit somewhere deemed to be an area for junior employees could be construed as a demotion.

The judgment was made following the case of Hertfordshire-based estate agent Nicholas Walker who, as branch manager, expected to sit at a “symbolically significant” desk at the rear of the office and became ‘upset’ when told a junior colleague had taken it.

He resigned and cited constructive unfair dismissal. When his boss at the agency’s HQ heard about the row, he said he couldn’t believe “a man of his age” was “making a fuss” about a desk.

In this day and age, perhaps he should be grateful that Mr Walker wanted to attend the office at all.

WILL AND KATE’S CLASSY DISPLAY OF AFFECTION

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William and Kate’s loving glance shared at the Commonwealth Day Service shows their mutual adoration[/caption]

THE Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – aka William and Kate – have never been ones for packing on the PDA.

But since her cancer diagnosis, there’s been a subtle shift.

She’s still not hanging off his arm or gazing adoringly at his every utterance (copyright: Meghan Markle) but this brief, loving glance shared at the Commonwealth Day Service tells you all you need to know about their mutual adoration and respect for each other.

STACEY Solomon’s team of experts on Sort Your Life Out revealed a £7 hack which means you won’t have piles of washing drying around your house.

And better still, with the weather becoming sunnier, it could lower your bills and mean you have less mould in your house too.

BBC

BBC

Cleaning expert Iwan Carrington said a £7 retractable washing line can help save you money on tumble drying bills[/caption]

BBC

With the sunnier weather, you can dry clothes outside in the sun to prevent mould in your home[/caption]

BBC

The line snaps back into the device are you have unhooked it to save space[/caption]

TV star Stacey’s professionals were tasked on the BBC show this week with helping recent single mum Katrina Bowen, who has four kids aged between five and 18.

The Wales-based family were struggling with their cluttered home, which they discovered included 425 stuffed animals, 37 pairs of scissors and 123 fancy dress outfits.

Thankfully Stacey, who gained fame after finishing third on The X Factor in 2009, and her team were on hand to help.

Cleaning expert Iwan Carrington had a handy gadget to sort out the issue of washing drying around the home.

Speaking on tonight’s show on BBC One, he shared: “I do not want to see any more washing hanging in Katrina’s living room window, so I’ve put one of these retractable washing lines in the section of the garden.

“I love these because then when everything’s dried, you can just take them off and they retract. 

“The washing line is gone. Love it.”

You can pick up a retractable washing line for as little as £6.94 from Temu, and they work using a spool mechanism that allows the line to be pulled out for use.

The retractable function means they can be out of sight when not needed.

Their functional designs make them ideal for small spaces, as they provide a drying solution without permanently occupying space.

Dunelm also has a retractable washing line for £7.

The website states: “A neat and practical washing line this Addis Retractable Washing Line is a must have for your home and is available to purchase online today.

“This Addis Retractable Washing Line has up to 15m of drying space meaning you no longer have to put clothes out to dry bit by bit. 

“No more unsightly empty washing lines.”

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The line solves the issue of laundry taking up space in your home[/caption]

Temu

You can pick up a retractable line from Temu for £6.94[/caption]

BBC

Stacey helped the Bowen family on tonight’s show[/caption]

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Stacey helped the family sort out their cluttered house[/caption]

Stacey’s home hacks

Stacey’s Sort Your Life Out is packed with clever tips.

Iwan previously shared a savvy trick for tackling mattress stains – and all you need is bicarbonate of soda, liquid detergent, and an iron.

Speaking to the camera, he says: “I’ve seen a hack online which I am desperate to try, and this is to remove stains from mattresses.”

He starts by mixing toothpaste, a laundry detergent pod, half a cup of warm water, and a spoonful of bicarbonate of soda in a bowl to form a paste.

Then, he soaks a cloth in the mixture and wraps it around an iron – which is turned off.

Sure enough, the video shows the stain fading away, as Iwan exclaims: “It is just disappearing before our eyes. Can you believe what you are seeing? It’s gone.”

He also gave a very handy hack if you want to leave your windows gleaming – coffee filters.

He explained: “These coffee filters are brilliant for cleaning windows because they’re really strong and they’re lint-free as well, so they don’t give any smears. 

“If you’re a coffee drinker and you have a big sack of these in your kitchen, one goes a long way.”

Thankfully the hack doesn’t need to break the bank.

Tesco is currently selling a pack of 40 coffee filters for £1.30, which works out at 3p per one.