Karl McCartney MP has slammed Labour’s plans for a welfare system that could see people in London receiving benefit handouts of up to £54,000 – paid for by hardworking taxpayers in Lincoln.
Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, Ed Balls, has said he will scrap the Conservatives’ benefit cap in favour of a new system that ‘properly reflects local housings costs’ that are ‘higher’ in London.
New analysis of independent figures show that under this system, people in London could get benefit handouts of up to £54,000. This would be more than double the current limit.
Karl McCartney MP commented: “Four years ago we inherited a welfare system from Labour that had utterly failed – with 1.4 million people in our country spending almost a decade living on out-of-work benefits.
“That’s why the Conservatives made fixing welfare a key part of our long-term economic plan. We want to end the culture of dependency and reward the willingness to work. So we capped benefits, meaning no one can claim more than the average family earns by going out to work.
“But Labour haven’t learnt their lesson. They would take us back to the days of unjustified benefit handouts by scrapping our cap, and increasing payments by up to £54,000 in London. That’s a slap in the face for the hardworking taxpayers in my Lincoln constituency who would have to pay for it. Only by sticking to our plan will we end the cycle of welfare dependency and secure a brighter future for Britain.”