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Hello, I'm Sean Curran, and this is yesterday in Parliament from BBC Radio 4.

After weeks of speculation, leaks, briefings and counter-briefings, MPs finally found out on Tuesday

the 18th of March what the government planned to do to cut the growing welfare bill.

For a minister with a statement to make, the House of Commons can be a lonely place.

Most secretaries of state press gang a few junior colleagues to sit alongside them on the government front bench.

Yesterday was different. Liz Kendall had heavyweight political support,

flanked by the Prime Minister and Angela Rainer. And the Chancellor Rachel Reeves were sitting

just a few spaces away, as the Work and Pension Secretary told MPs the social security system

was holding the country back. Millions of people who could work, trapped on benefits, denied the income, hope, dignity

and self-respect that we know good work brings.

And taxpayers paying millions more on the costs of failure, with spending on working age

sickness and disability benefits,

up 20 billion since the pandemic, set to rise by a further 18 billion by the end of this Parliament

to £70 billion a year. Liz Kendall announced plans to tighten the rules on who can claim

the personal independence payment or PIP,

the main disability benefit in England and Wales.

The changes mean that some people will no longer qualify.

The government also wants to change the rules so that people under the age of 22 won't be able to claim a top-up payment to universal credit for those who are unwell.

And there'll be a right to try, to allow disabled people to try a job without the threat of

losing benefits. Overall, the government hopes to save £5 billion by the end of 2030.

The Labour benches behind Liz Kendall were full,

...