Starmer urged to reveal if he made comparison between benefits and pocket money

Sir Keir Starmer must reveal whether he first made the comparison between benefits and pocket money which saw one of his ministers harshly criticised, the Liberal Democrats have said.

Treasury minister Darren Jones faced backlash when he made the comparison in the wake of the Chancellor’s spring statement, which included further cuts to welfare.

Mr Jones had sought to explain that extra funding to learn new skills and get into work would make people better off than if they relied alone on benefits payments.

But Rachel Reeves later said he had made a “clumsy” analogy when he compared the uplift for skills to his children working a weekend job on top of receiving pocket money.

Mr Jones has apologised for the remarks.

Cabinet meeting

The Times newspaper reported that Sir Keir was the first to have made the comparison during a meeting of the Cabinet before the spring statement.

Liberal Democrat work and pensions spokesman Steve Darling said the Prime Minister “needs to urgently confirm whether he suggested this insulting analogy and if so immediately apologise to the millions whose lives his welfare reforms will have made even more challenging”.

Torbay MP Mr Darling, who is registered blind, added: “Everything about these reforms paints the picture of a Government at real risk of losing its moral compass.

“We all accept that the welfare bill needs to be managed down but these cruel cuts are not the right approach. They take support away from many who can’t work or care for those who can’t, all whilst saying the goal of them is to get people into work. It is nonsensical.

“If the Government was serious about bringing the welfare bill down it would start by fixing the crisis in social care.”

Family experience 

Asked about the Lib Dems’ comments, Downing Street pointed towards Sir Keir’s own family experience.

Speaking to broadcasters this week following the spring statement, the Prime Minister said: “I’ve lived all my life with the impact of disability, through my mum, who was very ill all of her life, and more recently, my brother, who recently died of cancer.

“So I do understand the concerns, but I do think it’s morally indefensible that a million young people are going essentially from education onto benefits.

“They’re not in work, they’re not in education, they’re not in training. All of the evidence shows that if young people are in that position, and so early in their lives, they’re going to find it really difficult ever to get out of that. I don’t think that is morally defensible.”