Jack Elsom(@JackElsom):Andy Burnham's spokesman says the government won't be setting an "arbitrary target or timetable" on reducing the welfare bill. Pressed if Healey misspoke in his Today interview, the spokesman says: "The chancellor is completely in line with what the PM has said over the last few months that the welfare bill needs to come down, and as I say, we're not setting an arbitrary target or timetable on that."

2026.10.29 12:41

Andy Burnham's spokesman says the government won't be setting an "arbitrary target or timetable" on reducing the welfare bill. Pressed if Healey misspoke in his Today interview, the spokesman says: "The chancellor is completely in line with what the PM has said over the last few months that the welfare bill needs to come down, and as I say, we're not setting an arbitrary target or timetable on that."

Jack Elsom@JackElsom

2026.10.29 08:38

Uh oh… after John Healey clearly promised on @BBCr4today that the benefits bill will be cut before the next election, @ChrisMasonBBC tells listeners the Treasury have since been on the phone disputing he said this and that he wasn’t putting a timeline on welfare reductions.