Healey prepares first Budget with welfare reform as Kendall backs work push
John Healey is less than two weeks from presenting his first Budget, with welfare reform expected, while Liz Kendall says getting people back to work and slowing benefit cost growth is essential.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Chancellor John Healey is less than two weeks away from delivering his first Budget, and welfare reform is expected to be part of it. He has said he will not let the UK's benefits bill spiral out of control.
Liz Kendall, the former work and pensions secretary, has backed the direction of the plans. Speaking on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast, she said it was important to get more people back into work while setting a path to bring down the growing cost of the scheme. She agreed with the idea that there is a moral duty to get people back to work and to slow the growth of the bill, saying that spending less on failure is essential.
Kendall argued that good work is good for people. She said it supports dignity, self-worth and independence, and can also be good for mental health. It also matters for businesses, she added, because they need to draw on all the talents in the country. She said too many people have been denied the chances and choices to work, and that she has always believed in the value of good work.
When asked whether the welfare review would need to find savings for the government, Kendall said it was a good path for starting to bring down growth because the growth in costs is too much. No specific welfare measures, savings targets or a full timetable for the Budget were set out in the comments.
The story sits within the wider political debate about the benefits bill and back-to-work policy. Healey's first Budget is due in less than two weeks, and welfare reform is one of the areas expected to feature.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| John Healey is due to deliver his first Budget in less than two weeks. | |
| Liz Kendall said it was important to get more people back into work while reducing the growing cost of the benefits scheme. | |
| The Budget could include welfare reform after Healey pledged not to let the UK benefits bill spiral out of control. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky News covered the story in short, repeated news slots across its morning and daytime output. It framed welfare reform as an expected part of John Healey's first Budget and gave Liz Kendall's interview clip most of the airtime, stressing work, dignity and slower benefit cost growth. There was little scrutiny of how savings would be found or what specific reforms might be announced.
- “So I have always believed that good work is good for people and that too many people have denied those chances And choices to work”
- “Good work is good for people. It's good for their sense of dignity and self-worth their independence”
- “I think it's a good path for starting to bring down that growth because the growth in the costs is too much.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.