Stop families who choose not to work getting unlimited benefits, Tories say

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Stop families who choose not to work getting unlimited benefits, Tories say 18 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Becky Morton Political reporter PA Media Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch says people on benefits should have to make the same choices about their family as those who are not The Conservatives say they would stop some households being able to get unlimited benefit payments, by reforming the household benefit cap. The cap is a limit on the total amount of benefit payments most working age people can receive. However, there are exemptions for people on some benefits , including Personal Independence Payment (Pip), and for households on universal credit which earn £881 or more a month.

If they win power, the Tories have said they would only exempt households from the cap if all adults who can work do so, while receiving benefits such as Pip would no longer be an automatic exemption. The party said its proposals would deliver at least £1bn of savings annually. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the plans would "stop those who abuse the system getting almost unlimited welfare payments".

The Details

A total of 111,000 households in Great Britain are affected by the cap, according to the latest government figures . However, the Tories said more than 2. 3 million households were claiming benefits above the cap due to exemptions, including work.

The level of the cap depends on whether someone lives in or outside Greater London, whether they are single or part of a couple, and whether someone has children. For example, for a couple living outside Greater London, the cap is £1,835 per month. The measure was introduced under the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition in 2013, with the aim of increasing the incentive to work and reducing long-term dependency on benefits.

However, critics argue that limiting the amount part-time, low-income or out-of-work households can receive in benefits traps families in poverty. While the cap also applies in Northern Ireland, there is a system of supplementary payments to mitigate the impact on families with children. Welfare cuts: What are the Pip and universal credit changes?

What Experts Say

'Emergency handbrake' needed on sickness benefits, Blair think tank says Under the Tory proposals, where a couple can both work, they would both have to work at least 16 hours a week to be exempt from the household benefit cap. Where there is only one person who can work, they would need to work 16 hours a week - the same as at present. Under the current system, where one member of the household receives an exempting benefit - such as Pip or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) - then the whole household's benefits are uncapped.

The Tories said they would change this so if a member of a household receives one of these exempting benefits, the cap is no longer automatically lifted. Instead, their exempting benefit alone will be given as a specific top-up. The party is also pledging to continue to review how the cap is applied.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.