Labour?s Benefits Crackdown
Newscast
BBC
4.3 • 6.6K Ratings
🗓️ 18 March 2025
⏱️ 48 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Today, we look at big changes to the benefits system which the government say aim to save ?5bn a year by 2030.
They were announced in the House of Commons by Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall who said the changes would create a more ?pro-work system?. However, charities and some Labour MPs are worried benefit cuts will push disabled people into poverty. Alex and James talk through the changes with Chris, and then are joined by the pensions minister Torsten Bell.
And, President Putin has agreed to halt strikes on Ukraine energy targets for 30 days after a call with President Trump. The two men spoke for around 90 minutes, and fresh Ukraine peace talks will also begin in the Middle East immediately, the White House says. Alex and James are joined by Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet.
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New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bit.ly/3ENLcS1 Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by James Cook and Alex Forsyth. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Anna Harris and Shiler Mahmoudi. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts. |
| 0:04.7 | So it's been one of those days where I'm even struggling to keep up with what's going on, right? |
| 0:08.9 | I mean, you've got a whole load of stuff happening, like domestic politics, |
| 0:12.1 | and then some really significant international news as well. |
| 0:15.3 | We've read a lot of words today, Alex. |
| 0:16.8 | We have read a lot of words today. |
| 0:18.2 | A lot of words about the big changes to the benefit system announced by the UK government |
| 0:22.6 | and quite a lot of words about this call which has now happened between President Trump of the United States and President Putin of Russia. |
| 0:30.7 | So we're going to take all our reading and hopefully translate it, make it make sense on this episode of Newscast. |
| 0:36.8 | Newscast from the BBC. I like landscapes. |
| 0:40.1 | I don't think I'm being rude. Japping. Unemployed people who are overweight. That is not the agenda. |
| 0:45.2 | It's the fun police working overtime. The star is born. Elon. |
| 0:49.4 | So hurt that a miracle let us happen. Frankly, I think we need a British Trump. |
| 0:53.3 | Take me down to Downing Street. Let's go have a tour. Blimey. Frankly, I think we need a British Trump. Take me down to down the street. |
| 0:55.1 | Let's go have it to work. Blimey. Hello, it's James of the studio. And it's Alex in the studio. |
| 1:00.5 | Now, on the second half of newscast on this episode, we're going to be talking about this call |
| 1:06.5 | between President Trump and President Putin. But first, we're going to look at the benefit changes, |
| 1:11.5 | big, big changes, or potential changes, some of them, to benefits welfare that have been |
| 1:16.9 | announced by the UK government today. Alex, this is your great skill of many. Of many. |
| 1:25.1 | Don't know about that, James. Please would you take us through some of these changes? |
| 1:27.8 | Yeah, so we've been talking about this for some time, |
| 1:29.8 | a lot of speculation about what the government might do. |
... |
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