They’re at it again, claiming that billions of pounds are being lost to fraudulant benefit claims, which includes those by people on long term sick and those who are disabled.
Where they get these figures from is a real mystery as the last government’s own figures showed that benefit fraud was at its lowest ever at less than 3.5%, much of which could be attributed to DWP error.
And you’ll remember it was ex-PM Rishi Sunak who claimed that millions were being fraudulantly claimed through Personal Independent Payments (PIP) at the same time that DWP figures, released just days before Rishi Sunak called a general election, showed that overpayment of PIP due to fraud had dropped to Zero per cent, a fall from 0.2 per cent the previous year.
So, where are they getting this misleading information from? Or, are they just making it all up? But why?
Perhaps it’s something about finding a scapegoat for the shambles that exists called ‘government’ and the billions of pounds that are lost, mis-appropriated or mis-managed by initially the Tory party and then the Labour party. The two words ‘piss-up’ and ‘brewery’ come to mind!
Or is it, as has been recently announced by Labour, just an excuse to access the bank accounts of all those who claim benefits? Just another example of the carrot being replaced by the stick once again?
Description of cartoon for those using screen reading software
Keir Starmer is standing behind a BBC microphone holding in his hand a script with the words ‘Billions stolen on benefits’. Other pieces of paper are spewing out of a printer behind him with ‘Fraud, fraud, fraud’, ‘Disabled are all workshy scroungers’ and ‘disabled costing billions in fraudulant claims’. Sitting at a computer is Labour MP Liz Kendall who is saying: “I wonder what they’ll say if they ever find out that we’re just recycling old Tory lies?!”. Starmer replies: “Don’t start thinking Liz – just keep with the programme!”.
Crippen Cartoons 