I will not resile from hard welfare decisions - Kendall

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has said welfare changes are "never easy and rarely popular, perhaps especially for Labour governments" but that she would not "resile" from difficult decisions.

Speaking in central London, she insisted that, without change, there was a "risk" the welfare state "won't be there for people who really need it in future".

Government measures, which include stricter tests for claiming some benefits and reducing payments for others, have caused unease among some Labour MPs.

Poole MP Neil Duncan-Jordan told the BBC he was "extremely concerned" that the government was going "further and faster and doubling down" and urged ministers to "pause" the cuts.

He added that there was "a very healthy debate inside the Labour Party at the moment about how we should be raising funds rather than cutting benefits".

It comes as a memo - seen by the Daily Telegraph - appears to show that earlier this year Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner's department urged the Treasury to consider new tax-raising measures.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said she would not borrow to fund day-to-day spending.

In March, Reeves announced £5bn of cuts to the welfare budget, a move Kendall defended when addressing an event at the Institute of Public Policy Research on Wednesday.

She argued that the welfare state had "simply not kept pace" with increases in life expectancy or rises in the numbers with disabilities and long-term health conditions.

She said the number of people receiving Personal Independence Payments - paid to those in and out of work - was set to more than double to 4.3 million.

"This is not sustainable or fair – for the people who need support and for taxpayers," she said.

"Unless we reform the system to help those who can work to do so, unless we get social security spending on a more sustainable footing...the risk is the welfare state won't be there for people who really need it in future."

The minister acknowledged that welfare reform was "rarely popular" and said she was "listening carefully" to those with concerns.

However, she added: "No responsible Labour government can resile from taking decisions because they are too difficult because that is not good enough for the people we came into politics to serve."

She also stressed measures, which she said would help those who wanted to work rather than maintaining a system that "writes people off".

However, the Citizens Advice charity accused the government of a "misguided dash for short-term savings" which they said will "push far too many deeper into poverty".

Its chief executive, Dame Clare Moriarty, said: "Slashing vital support creates desperation, not opportunity."

National disability charity Sense said "We agree that the welfare system isn't currently working for disabled people - but increasing the number of disabled people in poverty will never be the solution."

In addition to questioning cuts to benefits, some Labour MPs have also criticised the government's decision to reduce the number of pensioners eligible for winter fuel payments.

Shortly after Liz Kendall's speech, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced he would be partially U-turning on the cuts by allowing more older people to qualify for the money.