Imprecise
And she talks about the welfare bill. It soared to 88 billion pounds by 88 billion pounds on their watch.
Official DWP figures put the rise close to, but not at, 88 billion pounds, and only in cash terms. In the Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2026 (Spring Forecast), total Great Britain welfare spending in nominal terms went from 193.6 billion pounds in 2010/11 to 277.3 billion pounds in 2023/24 - an increase of about 84 billion pounds over the last Conservative government (about 86 billion on the wider UK measure). Adjusted for inflation the picture is very different: on the same DWP table, at 2026/27 prices, the total went from 296.1 billion pounds in 2010/11 to 303.8 billion pounds in 2023/24, an increase of roughly 8 billion pounds. The 88 billion pounds figure is therefore in the right order of magnitude in cash terms only, and DWP does not publish a series that produces exactly that number.
▸ Department for Work and Pensions - Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2026 (Spring Forecast), sheet GB_welfare — How much the welfare bill rose on the Conservatives' watch: Great Britain welfare spending, nominal terms
▸ Department for Work and Pensions - Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2026 (Spring Forecast), sheet GB_welfare — The same welfare bill in real terms: 296.1 billion pounds in 2010/11 and 303.8 billion pounds in 2023/24
Vérifié mer 1 juil, 09:59 · Direct:
PMQs: Prime Minister's Questions - 3 June 2026