Liz Kendall has announced changes to the welfare system – including merging some benefits and a plan to scrap the work capability assessment used to claim universal credit. Speaking to Sky’s political editor Beth Rigby, she did not rule out making further savings.
Tuesday 18 March 2025 20:00, UK
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Earlier today, Kemi Badenoch declared that the UK’s target to reach net zero by 2050 is “impossible”, and said it cannot be achieved without “a serious drop in our living standards or by bankrupting us” (more here).
On Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge, we are getting the view of our panel on the move.
Former Tory party chair Sir Jake Berry says Badenoch’s remarks did not come out of nowhere, noting that Rishi Sunak rolled back on some green pledges before the general election.
“I think even the most ardent supporters of net zero would say that it needs to be done in a responsible way that ensures Britain can continue to succeed as a nation,” he says.
Berry also argues that when Theresa May put the commitment into law in 2019, it only had “90 minutes of debate in parliament”.
“The world may have changed, and if the world changes, then policy should change to reflect that,” he adds.
Environmental campaign Dale Vince says: “I think the idea that we can’t afford to get to net zero or afford to have the green economy is detached from fact.”
He says the green economy grew 10% last year and added £83bn to the UK’s GDP.
“The economic opportunity of the 21st century is in the green economy,” he adds, arguing that the “evidence is clear” of the economic boost.
We are now speaking to our panel to get their views on the cuts to benefits announced today.
Environmental campaigner and Labour donor Dale Vince says: “I think the changes look necessary to me from what I’ve learned today, reading about proposed reforms.
“There are genuine reforms in the system, and if you look at the growth of the welfare budget – £20bn in the last five years, forecast to grow by almost another £20bn in this parliament, by which time it’ll be around £70bn, and more than our defence spending.
“And when you look at that, you think something must be wrong.”
He also points to the number of people now unable to work or not in education, training or work, and says: “It’s like a shadow pandemic post the pandemic that has seen the cost of the welfare state balloon, and it’s right to look at the system and say, ‘is that system failing or working for people’.”
Sophy Ridge puts to former Tory party chair Sir Jake Berry that perhaps these are changes he would have like to have made while in government.
He replies: “Yeah, I mean, we actually made a lot of changes to welfare in our time.”
Those brought the welfare bill down, but that progress has “gone into reverse since the pandemic”.
Berry says the government “is right to look at that” and focus on “not just bring the cost down”, but “help people get into work”.
“I think they’ve made some good moves here today,” he adds.
Their challenge will be convincing their backbenches to vote in favour of these cuts.
The government announced a range of cuts to the benefits today, and ministers expect the savings to amount to £5bn on the ballooning welfare bill.
Our political editor Beth Rigby has sat down with Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall to discuss the measures, and put to her that the savings she outlined today are just a drop in the ocean.
Kendall replied that this is a “substantial package to actually reform this system”, and her aim is to “tackle a failing system that is failing the people who depend on benefits”.
She also argued that more savings will be achieved by “getting more people into work”.
Asked if she is ruling out needing to make further savings on the welfare budget later in this parliament, the minister repeatedly refused to rule that out.
She simply said: “I am suggesting we talk about the proposals we are actually making, and not those which we aren’t.”
It’s been a hugely consequential day for the government, with the work and pensions secretary announcing long-trailed cuts and changes to benefits.
We are discussing and debating the changes now on Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge, and below, our political editor Beth Rigby explains everything you need to know below…
Turning to the UK’s role in negotiations around the war in Ukraine, Sophy Ridge asks former Tory party chair Sir Jake Berry what Sir Keir Starmer should do next.
He replies: “I actually think Starmer’s doing really well. I think he has shown himself in a leadership role.
“We had that extraordinary scene in the White House, which was really President Trump and his deputy putting Zelenskyy in his place, softening him up for these talks.
“And I was really proud of our prime minister, Keir Starmer, and Emmanuel Macron, and other global leaders who came forward and stood strong and proudly with Ukraine.”
But he goes on to say that the reality is that a deal will have to be done because Trump will not support Ukraine in continuing to fight.
“I think, unfortunately for the Ukrainians, that’s going to see them lose significant portions of their territory to the Russian aggressors,” he adds.
We are now speaking to our panel to get their views on the Trump-Putin phone call this afternoon.
Former Tory party chair Sir Jake Berry says Russia, China, and the US these days are “more interested in their own interests and their spheres of influence than necessarily getting the right deal for Ukraine”.
He continues: “I think the Americans will be both surprised and disappointed by how this call went for President Trump.”
He notes that Trump had got Ukraine to commit to a 30-day ceasefire, but failed to get Putin to agree the same.
And he points out that Russia came out straight away with briefings about how well the call had gone for President Putin, while there was “a significant delay from the White House”.
“It feels to me like they were saying, ‘this hasn’t gone how we hoped, let’s get our stories straight, how can we put a positive spin on this’,” Berry said.
“They’ve done their best – I’m not sure it is that positive for them.”
Environmental campaigner Dale Vice says he did not see a huge amount of difference between the two sides’ accounts of the phone call.
He notes that until now, peace has not been a conversation, but two months into Trump’s presidency, it is.
“It may be imperfect right now, it may not look like the West wants. But we’ve got to be a bit realistic – we’ve failed to beat Russia on the battlefield with America’s help, and America will no longer help,” he says.
To that end, Vince argues that “these discussions of peace have to be coming from a position where Russia is winning, and Russia will win because Trump will no longer support the war”.
First on tonight’s edition of Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge, we are discussing the outcomes of the Trump-Putin phone call this afternoon.
Donald Trump has since said that the call was “very good and productive”, and said they “agreed to an immediate ceasefire on all energy and infrastructure, with an understanding that we will be working quickly to have a complete ceasefire and, ultimately, an end to this very horrible war”.
Read the details and follow the latest in our dedicated live coverage here:
Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge is live now on Sky News.
We will be going through the vast changes made to benefits today, and how they will affect claimants.
Also on the agenda is Donald Trump’s lengthy phone call with Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine.
On Sophy’s panel tonight is Dale Vince, an environmental campaigner and Labour donor who has called on the government to impose a wealth tax to raise money.
Former Tory party chairman Sir Jake Berry is also on Sophy’s panel to give his view on today’s announcements.
Watch live on Sky News, in the stream at the top of this page, at the link below – and follow live updates here in the Politics Hub.
Watch Politics Hub With Sophy Ridge from Monday to Thursday on Sky channel 501, Virgin channel 602, Freeview channel 233, on the Sky News website and app or on YouTube.
A lot has happened since this morning, so in case you missed it, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch declared that the UK’s target to reach net zero by 2050 is “impossible”.
She said the net zero goal cannot be achieved without “a serious drop in our living standards or by bankrupting us”.
Net zero means cutting emissions of greenhouse gases, which cause climate change, to virtually zero, and absorbing the rest elsewhere.
Scientists say the world must reach that point by 2050 to avoid even worse flooding, wildfires, and other damage – but that action is lagging behind.
Given the scientific consensus, former Tory PM Baroness Theresa May signed the target into law in 2019, and she has hit out at her successor for rowing back on it.
She wrote on X: Net zero by 2050 is challenging but achievable.
“It is supported by the scientific community and backed by the independent Climate Change Committee as being not just necessary but feasible and cost-effective.
“We are already seeing the impact of climate change. From extreme weather events to supply chain disruption and increased climate-induced migration.
“With every additional increment of warming, the risks of climate change increase significantly, and at an increasing rate.
“Delaying action will only harm the next generation and increase both the economic and social costs of climate change.”
Away from benefits for a moment, David Lammy has been under the spotlight today after Downing Street rowed back on his comments about Israel yesterday.
The foreign secretary gave a wide-ranging statement in the Commons on Monday afternoon, saying for the first time that Israel is breaking international law by withholding aid to Gaza.
But Downing Street said today that there has been no change in the government’s position, and that Israel is “at clear risk” of breaking international law.
Lammy has since spoken to Bloomberg and said he “could have been clearer” in the Commons, and that breaches of international law are ultimately “matters for courts to determine”.
So did he misspeak when taking questions from MPs on Monday?
The foreign secretary appeared to be very clear when answering the same question from two separate MPs, according to both the video footage and the transcript in Hansard.
Firstly, Lammy was asked by Dr Rupa Huq what consequences there will be for Israel for withholding aid “for what people are saying is a breach of international law”.
He replied: “My honourable friend is right: this is a breach of international law.”
Later, Lammy was asked by Jeremy Corbyn why he will not say that Israel is in breach of international law by withholding aid.
He replied: “I did say in my contribution that Israel is in breach of international humanitarian law.”
The foreign secretary’s position appeared very clear-cut – but now he says he “could have been clearer”.
Downing Street was asked repeatedly by journalists if the foreign secretary was incorrect in what he told the House, but they refused to say.
Sky News has contacted the Foreign Office and Lammy’s team for more information, but has yet to receive a response.
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