Will Sunak uprate benefits in line with inflation?

Details: Published: 25 October 2022

At the time of writing we still don’t know whether benefits are going to be uprated in line with inflation or only in line with wages in Monday’s ‘fiscal event’ statement.

We do know what Rishi Sunak said about benefits uprating when he was chancellor of the exchequer. In his statement on cost of living support, delivered on 26 May 2022, Sunak said

“And I can reassure the House that next year, subject to the Secretary of State’s review, benefits will be uprated by this September’s CPI…

…which, on current forecasts, is likely to be significantly higher than the forecast inflation rate for next year.”

However, that reassurance was issued before his own party crashed the economy with Liz Truss’ disastrous mini-budget and before Sunak became prime minister. Whether he will still honour it now remains to be seen.

Sunak’s record on welfare benefits, in common with most conservative MPs has been a long string of votes in favour of reducing welfare benefits.

According to TheyWorkForYou Sunak voted in favour of reducing spending on welfare benefits 24 times and against only once.

He also voted against paying higher benefits over longer periods for those unable to work due to illness or disability on 8 occasions and has never voted in favour.

So, in general this is unlikely to be a prime minister who will be keen to see benefits for those unable to work boosted.

But there is still every reason to hope that, at least in terms of April 2023’s uprating, he will keep his word and increase benefits by September’s CPI rate of 10.1%, rather than wage growth of around 5.4%.

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Richard · 2 years ago
I would like to remind people, that it is not just the conservatives that have been in favour of cutting benefits, but also labour (so-called). It was the labour government that helped to introduce benefit reforms before 2010. The general public don't understand or care about the recipients of welfare and do view them as scroungers. What has annoyed me more than anything is my experience of working with people, who were so lazy that they should have been unemployed. In one place I worked most of the staff would turn up (on a daily basis) with hangovers or some other ailment caused by their over-indulgence and they would not be subject to disciplinary procedures.

There will probably never be a time when people in receipt of benefits will be treated fairly or with the same respect as people legally avoiding paying tax. The only hope is that the conservatives are cast into the political wilderness like rotting vegetables being discarded in the rubbish bin.
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Isla · 2 years ago
I don't suppose it really matters what changes he implements to begin in April 2023, let's face he'll be gone not that long after and the stress and uncertainty will start all over again. Why would we expect a Con PM to be sympathetic to illness and disability when so many members of the public are not. We've all seen the SM and MSM comments. Even friends and family tell me how good I look. That's because they only see me when I'm feeling at my best. I don't let anyone but my career see me when I'm too ill to move. One of the charities should produce a badge that says "Walk in my shoes for a Week". I'm sorry my Stroke, MS, Meniers and Chronic Migraine have made me a scrounger. I hope the NI and Tax I paid for 27 years previously helps.
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Billi · 2 years ago
He took the £20 a week uplift away from the poorest in this country. To him that’s nothing but he thought he could save money by taking it away - that was peoples food to survive for a whole week!
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Keith B · 2 years ago
He never keeps his word unless it is something bad.
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Aw · 2 years ago
I think it's looking less likely now. He'll promise instead to 'bring inflation down quickly' or aome other fantasy carrot to try and shut us up from clamouring for what's actually justified: a general election.
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Harry · 2 years ago
Very Unlikely as he's appointed; deliberately in my personal opinion,Mel Stride as Works and Pensions minister another who also voted against paying higher benefits over longer periods for those unable to work due to illness or disability.
From his voting record he does not have much,if any,sympathy with disability benefit claimants.
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plinth · 2 years ago
We do not yet know whether the billionaire Prim Minister will care very much about the sick and/or disabled citizens of this country, most of whom survive on a very low income , but he has now replaced Chloe Smith as the Work and Pensions Secretary for Mel Stride whose voting record demonstrates that he is in favour of the bedroom tax, in favour of lowering income tax for people earning more than £150,000 per annum; has nearly always voted for a reduction in spending on welfare benefits and generally voted against paying higher benefits over longer periods for those unable to work due to illness or disability. Having said that, he is little different in his attitude crews and outlook to the line up of the many other Work and Pensions Secretaries which have gone before him in this government.
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