A 16-year-old claimant on disability benefits can receive nearly £100 more a week than a teenager working the maximum part-time hours on minimum wage – a disparity that new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has signalled he is determined to close.
More than 87,000 16 and 17-year-olds are claiming personal independence payment (PIP), according to analysis from The Times. Two-thirds of those on the upper tier, worth £194 a week, are claiming for mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions such as anxiety, depression, autism and ADHD. By contrast, a 16-year-old on the under-18 minimum wage, working the legal maximum of 12 hours a week during term time, takes home about £94.
“Teen on PIP can get £100 more than worker as PM signals welfare crackdown; wife defended by Dawn French.”
The figures come after a review of disability benefits found the system is “no longer fit for purpose”, with promises of “bold” reform. Burnham has now indicated he could tighten conditions attached to receiving support. “It’s about changing the nature of the support and making some of the support conditional upon people taking opportunities that are presented in front of them,” he told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg. “You might increase the conditions required to receive benefits.”
The Prime Minister’s tough rhetoric on welfare sits alongside a broader shake-up of government style. According to a New Statesman guide to the new regime, Burnham gave his first Downing Street speech without notes, saying: “It’s about putting people back into the heart of politics.” He has also signalled a “No 10 of the North” plan to decentralise key functions to Manchester, where he was mayor.
But as Burnham sets a new course, his wife Marie-France van Heel has become the target of online abuse. After joining him at Buckingham Palace for an audience with King Charles, wearing a pastel dress by Victoria Beckham, comments about her appearance were described as “sexist” and “shameful”.
Actor Dawn French issued a strongly worded plea on Instagram, addressing an unnamed woman: “How dare you body shame her? This is a bright woman who speaks lots of languages; she’s run businesses; she’s faced challenges you wouldn’t even begin to imagine. You wouldn’t have the f*ing courage for it.” French ended the video with: “Stop bullying people! It’s a human being with a human body!” The caption read: “STOP BODY SHAMING PEOPLE YOU UTTER C*SHRIMPS!!!”
Thousands commented in support, including celebrities Paloma Faith, Suranne Jones, Vicky Pattison and Keeley Hawes. Van Heel, who met Burnham at Cambridge and married him in 2000, worked in marketing and designed logos for the BBC and England Rugby.
The contrast between Burnham’s planned welfare curbs and the personal scrutiny his family faces underscores the tensions at the heart of his premiership.