# Carry on claiming: welfare spending £5 billion a year higher than expected

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/carry-on-claiming-welfare-spending-5-billion-a-year-higher-than-expected/
- Published: 2026-10-28T15:04:58+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-28T16:24:20+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16245481/Carry-claiming-welfare-spending-5-billion-year-higher-expected.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: World

## Key points

- Welfare spending is forecast to reach £413.1 billion in 2030-31.
- The OBR expects costs to average £5 billion more each year.
- Two reviews on benefits and youth unemployment are due in November.

## Summary

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) says UK welfare spending is expected to be around £5 billion a year higher than it forecast in March, reaching £413.1 billion in 2030-31. The rise has intensified criticism of the Government for not setting out specific benefit cuts or reforms in the Budget.

The OBR attributes the higher forecast to benefit increases in line with inflation and more people expected to claim health-related Universal Credit. Health and disability benefit spending is now projected to exceed £100 billion in 2028-29, compared with £85.6 billion in 2025-26. Chancellor John Healey said reviews of youth unemployment and Personal Independence Payments would be published in November and promised to reduce the bill, while critics said the Government was delaying difficult decisions.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.