Even Blair's think tank says it's too easy to get benefits in Starmer's Britain

By JASON GROVES, POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 00:05, 28 April 2026 | Updated: 00:08, 28 April 2026 Keir Starmer has been urged to pull the ‘emergency handbrake’ on Britain’s runaway welfare system – as a new report warns one in three people know someone who is wrongly claiming benefits. A study by Tony Blair’s think tank highlights widespread public support for halting payments for conditions like anxiety, depression and stress. The report warns that voters increasingly believe the current welfare system is both ‘unaffordable and unsustainable’. And it calls for the government to apply an ‘emergency handbrake’ to new claims for a string of conditions while ministers consider wider reform. A major survey carried out alongside the report finds that the public believe it is too easy to get benefits by a margin of 54:16. Almost a third of people (30 per cent) say they personally know someone getting benefits who does not genuinely need them. More than half (53 per cent) said the welfare system makes it more likely that young people with mental health problems will permanently leave the workforce or education. The report identifies only five constituencies in the entire country where voters on balance think it is too hard to get benefits. U-turn: Keir Starmer abandoned welfare reform last year but is being urged to try again Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. And it reveals that the huge surge seen in benefit claims in the UK since the pandemic has not been matched in other countries. While spending on sickness benefits has jumped by 19.6 per cent in the UK since 2019, the rise in France in just 5.9, while the figure has fallen by 9.9 per cent in Australia and 15 per cent in the United States. The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) report says that ministers could act immediately to apply a ‘handbrake’ to new sickness claims, which are currently running at around 1,000 a day. It suggests that people reporting a rage of conditions, including anxiety, depression, stress and ADHD should no longer be granted benefits unless they can show that their condition makes it impossible for them to work. The report argues that working can help people cope with mild mental health conditions and suggests they should be given more support to find a job. It also calls for a return to face-to-face assessments, instead of letting people make their claims online. Researchers argue that simply bringing incapacity benefit claims back to pre-pandemic levels could cut them by £11.5 billion. The bill for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is £19 billion higher than in 2019. Ryan Wain, of the TBI, said it was time to halt benefits for conditions that are not ‘work limiting’. He added: ‘Pulling this handbrake would free up resources for better mental health support and keep people in work who benefit from the purpose it brings. ‘Pulling the handbrake would mark the beginning of the long road to restoring public trust in this broken system and free up resource for better support and national priorities.’ Unsustainable: Tony Blair's think tank warns public support for the welfare system is waning Keir Starmer were forced last year to abandon plans to trim £5 billion from the welfare bill in the face of a huge Labour rebellion at Westminster. But the new report says an ‘emergency handbrake’ could be applied using secondary legislation, without the need for a potentially tricky vote in parliament. Supporters are also urging ministers to use the detailed findings to show MPs that there is widespread support for tightening up the benefits system in almost every part of the country. The survey found there were only five constitutions in the entire country where more people believe the benefits system is too strict instead of too lax. These include the Hackney South and Shoreditch constituency of Dame Meg Hillier, who led last year’s welfare rebellion, along with Peckham and Hackney South and Shoreditch, also in London, Brighton Pavilion and Bristol Central. The poll found that while 78 per cent believe most people with serious heart conditions should be entitled to benefits, the figure falls to just 35 per cent for conditions like anxiety and depression and only 31 per cent for stress. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. 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