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Sir Keir Starmer has defended the federal government’s cuts to welfare, saying “many individuals” on advantages “discover it very tough” or are “fearful” of attempting work.

Talking to our political correspondent Ali Fortescue on a go to to West Yorkshire, the PM defended the cuts to incapacity advantages by speaking about his family’s expertise.

“My family’s been impacted by incapacity all my life,” he stated.

“My late mom was extraordinarily in poor health all of her life, and my late brother, who lived in Yorkshire, was very in poor health and disabled, significantly when he obtained most cancers, which he died of. So I do perceive that human stage.”

“However we’re addressing one thing – which is a system that is not working.”

Many ‘fearful’ of attempting work

Extra broadly, Starmer went on to say that one in eight younger persons are “neither studying nor incomes”, and are “going successfully from faculty on to some kind of advantages”.

He acknowledged that some must assist to get into work, however added that “it might probably’t be proper” that many aren’t in work.

Pushed by Ali on the forecast that 250,000 folks, together with 50,000 kids, may very well be pushed into relative poverty on account of the federal government’s modifications to advantages, the PM insisted that they don’t take note of the federal government’s funding in serving to folks discover work.

Starmer stated: “What we have performed is put £1bn on the initiatives, and the work, and the assist to get folks into work.

“But additionally, we have launched a ‘proper to strive’, as a result of many individuals who aren’t in work, who need to work, discover it very tough to make that step. They’re barely scared of that step.

“So with the ‘proper to strive’, and the cash behind them, we’re capable of assist them into work.”

‘Should you can work, you need to’

On the variety of folks forecast to be pushed into poverty, Starmer stated: “They [the impact assessments] don’t take account of the billion kilos we’re placing behind the assist to get folks into work.

“They do not take account of the ‘proper to strive’ that we’re introducing, which is massively essential, and can, in my opinion, be impactful.”

He added that his “clear” ideas are that those that want assist ought to get it, and “should you can work, you ought to be working”.