Working class don't want handouts, says Rayner

Working class people do not want "handouts" but support to find jobs, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has said.

Last week the government set out changes to the benefits system aimed at saving £5bn, including making it harder for people to claim disability payments.

Asked whether the cuts were "a hard sell" to Labour MPs and supporters, Rayner told the BBC it was "a working class thing that people do want to be able to provide for their families and themselves", adding that the welfare package included £1bn to support "opportunities to get back into work."

She was speaking ahead of Wednesday's Spring Statement, where the chancellor is also expected to announce spending cuts in other areas.

The government is facing a difficult economic backdrop, with disappointing growth figures and higher borrowing costs making it more difficult for the chancellor to meet her self-imposed rules on borrowing and spending.

Rachel Reeves has signalled she will not raise taxes or increase government budgets in her statement, putting pressure on the spending of departments.

Rayner admitted selling the cuts to Labour MPs had been "difficult".

But defending the plans she told BBC Radio 4's World At One programme: "Nobody says at the moment that the welfare system works.

"Some of the most vulnerable people are not getting the support they need and others who want to work are not being given the support they need to get back into work.

"It's a working class thing that people do want to be able to provide for their families and themselves.

"They don't want handouts, they want support - and that's the important element of that welfare reform."

The government has faced a backlash from some Labour MPs over the planned benefit cuts, with some warning they will push more disabled people into poverty.

Some on the left of the party have instead called for a new tax on the wealthiest individuals.

However, others agree with the government that there is a moral case for reforming the welfare system to encourage people into work.

Details of how many people will be affected by the cuts will be set out alongside the Spring Statement, which could prompt further criticism.

On Monday, Sir Keir told BBC Radio 5 Live that he wanted to "take some money out of government" and was looking "across the board" at where to make spending cuts.

He insisted the government had made "record investments" at last October's Budget, which he said would not be undone.

Reeves has repeatedly said she will not budge from her fiscal rules, which include not borrowing to fund day-to-day spending and seeing debt fall as a share of the UK economic output by 2029/30.

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