There's been a lot of focus today on the amount of welfare spending for working-age adults.

As we reported earlier, the prime minister's spokesperson raised the issue when defending the government's focus on reform.

Asked by journalists if planned changes are coming as a result of the UK's fiscal backdrop, they said no.

Instead they pointed to, among other things, the UK having the "highest level of working-age inactivity due to ill health in western Europe".

Welfare spending on working age adults - defined as those aged between 16 and 64 - was £48.5 billion in 2023-24. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) projects it is due to rise to £75.7 billion in 2029-30, as the graph below illustrates.

A think thank chief says tightening eligibility criteria for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) is "unlikely to have a huge effect on work incentives".

Ruth Curtice, Resolution Foundation's chief executive, tells BBC's Radio 4's World at One that the change is "likely to concentrate all of the income losses on a small number of claimants".

She warns this will have a "really significant effect" on those impacted. She adds that there is much about the benefits system, other than eligibility, which could be improved.

How many people are out of work for health reasons?published at 16:19 Greenwich Mean Time

16:19 GMT

By Anthony Reuben

Earlier today the prime minister’s spokesman told journalists: “Three million people are out of work for health reasons, and one in eight young people not currently in work, education or training. So we've got a duty to fix the system.”

He is correct, according to the latest figures from theOffice for National Statistics (ONS), external, which show that of the 9.3 million people in the UK who were economically inactive between October and December last year, three million were not working because they were sick.

On the second part of the claim, in the same period there were around 987,000 people aged 16 to 24 years in the UK who were not in education, employment or training, which wasaround 13.4% of the total, external – that’s about one in eight.

But both of these figures come from the Labour Force Survey, which the ONS says should be treated with “caution” at the moment because fewer people have been agreeing to participate in it.

Is this just a cost cutting exercise?published at 16:07 Greenwich Mean Time

16:07 GMT

Vicki Young
Deputy Political Editor

Since coming to power Keir Starmer has made some controversial decisions - reducing winter fuel allowance, hiking national insurance for employers and slashing the Foreign Aid budget.

But the looming cuts to welfare will be the toughest test yet of Labour MPs’ loyalty. Many have only voiced their unease privately but that could change when they see the details of exactly how disability benefits will be cut.

Remember, David Cameron’s Conservative government had to back down over similar plans in 2016. The government says the welfare system needs reform to help more people to work, but ministers need to persuade Labour MPs that this isn’t just a cost cutting exercise.

MPs have just finished quizzing ministers at the regular work and pensions session in the House of Commons.

The government's plans to bring forward welfare reforms came up several times. Here's what we heard:

• Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall didn't provide any more details about the plans, but urged people to be patient adding that government proposals will come "imminently"
• She said "treating people with dignity and respect is at the heart of this government’s plans"

• Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately challenged Kendall over whether she has the Cabinet's full agreement on her plans given the "apprehension of disabled people"

• Kendall again urged patience and claimed the Conservatives never had a plan
• Elsewhere in the session, minister Stephen Timms said he was "concerned", "sad" and expressed "regret" about the level of anxiety and speculation in recent weeks

Green Party MP Sian Berry says the government's "active trailing of welfare cuts has generated genuine fear".

She asks if Kendall will apologise for this and reassure the public that benefit changes will not take place this year.

Labour MP Stephen Timms, responds, saying he recognises that there has been a "good deal of anxiety".

"I regret that that has occurred," he says, adding that the proposals will soon become clear and that he thinks Berry will welcome them.

In our next post, we'll bring you a recap of the key lines, following questions on benefits reform in the House of Commons.

Image source, UK Parliament

The shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately is back with another question, she asks if Kendall has a "collective agreement" on the plans she is due to announce on Tuesday.

"Given all the media briefings, the apprehension of disabled people and the growing number of people not working, none of us would want to see that delayed," Whately states. She claims that Kendall still doesn't have the support of her cabinet with less than 24 hours to go.

Kendall says Whately will have to "show a little patience".

In response to Whately, she adds: "She talks about plans - we've seen her and the shadow chancellor writing in various newspapers claiming about their plan, but there never was a plan."

Questions to Liz Kendall in the House of Commons have just concluded, stay with us as we continue to bring you the latest updates and analysis.

Former Conservative Cabinet minister Sir Jeremy Wright asks about reforming the Personal Independence Payments (PIP) reassessment process.

He suggests that for those whose conditions are not going to improve "it would be sensible to relieve them of the burden" of that process.

This would lead to "less distress for them, saving money in the system and allowing people who do need reassessment to be reassessed faster", he adds.

Kendall says she agrees with a lot of what he says.

She asks the House to be patient and look at the full proposals the government "will be putting forward imminently".

Image source, UK Parliament

Questions have now turned away from McGovern and back to Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall.

Labour MP David Williams, referencing his constituent who was "badly let down by a flawed PIP assessment", asks what steps will be taken to ensure people are treated with fairness and dignity, and given the support they need.

Kendall says treating people with dignity and respect is at "the heart of the government's plans".

She adds that she regularly meets disabled people who are denied the chance of work.

"That is what we want to put right, to make sure that the social security system is there for those who need it - not just now, but for years to come," she adds.

Labour MP Neil Duncan-Jordan, asks if McGovern will acknowledge that disabled people need more investment to help them, rather than freezes and cuts.

"I do agree," replies Alison McGovern.

The work and pensions minister adds: "We see potential in every single person in this country and many of those, who have been written off and left on the scrap heap, deserve a much better pathway back into work."

Conservative MP Lincoln Jopp says people in his Spelthorne constituency don't mind paying taxes for a safety net for the most vulnerable, but claims they "really do get annoyed when they see their taxes going to people who are scamming the benefit system".

He asks ministers about "so-called sickfluencer sites" - where he says people are shown how to "play the benefit system".

Alison McGovern, work and pensions minister, says the government's fraud bill is currently passing through Parliament and the issue he has raised is "at the forefront" of the relevant minister's attention.

They will take "every step" possible to deal with issues in that area, she says.

Image source, UK Parliament

Liberal Democrat MP Liz Jarvis asks Labour's Stephen Timms if he can assure those who are unable to work that they won't see their benefits cut.

Timms says he is concerned about the level of anxiety and speculation in recent weeks.

He says that he recognises the concerns, without directly answering the question.

He adds that the current welfare system is failing, and the government is aiming to make the system sustainable so it is around in the future.

Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately asks Kendall why 100,000 more young people are "not in education, employment or training, since the Labour government came into power".

Kendall responds by hitting back at the "legacy of 14 years of a Conservative government".

"She had 14 years to solve that situation, and their record is clear - nearly one million young people not in education, employment or training - one in eight of all of our young people."

She adds that the Conservative legacy is one her government is "determined" to change.

Image source, UK Parliament

Liberal Democrat MP Max Wilkinson cites a report which he says finds that young people with disabilities face particular difficulty when trying to access work.

He says when ministers make decisions to welfare changes, the report will be properly considered.

"Absolutely,' Kendall says, adding that he will soon hear more about the government's plans, which will include "proper employment support".

Image source, UK Parliament

We're now hearing from Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, who is answering questions about her department in the House of Commons.

She says there has been lots of speculation about reforms to social security, and that she wants to reassure the Commons and the public that the government will be coming forward with its proposals imminently.

She says this is to "ensure trust and fairness in the social security system, and to ensure it is there for people who need it now and for years to come".

We'll be bringing you the key lines from Kendall, though it is unclear whether she will answer direct questions on PIP. You can also follow along from inside the Commons by clicking Watch live at the top of this page.

A person can claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP) if they find it difficult to do everyday tasks or get around because of disability or a long-term physical or mental health condition.

They must have experienced these difficulties for three months before claiming and must expect them to continue for at least 9 months after claiming.

There are two parts to PIP: a daily living component, for those who have difficulty with everyday tasks, and a mobility part, which applies to people who struggle with getting around.

A person can be awarded one or both parts, depending on how their condition or disability affects them. This is assessed by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

A person can receive PIP at the same time as all other benefits, except the Armed Forces Independent Payment, external. A person with a job and savings can also receive the benefit.

It is not yet known whether the changes that are expected to be announced tomorrow will change DWP's eligibility criteria, which you can read more about on their official website., external

• For a more in-depth look at what PIP is, head to our previous post

Victoria Park-Froud
Journalist, BBC News

Susan Richmond, 52, from Manchester, says she is unable to return to work as a teacher because of long Covid, which she caught while working in a primary school in 2021.

"I am breathless and I get heart palpitations and I can’t even leave the house," she says.

"I feel forgotten and ignored like so many others. It feels like long Covid isn’t recognised. Covid didn’t just kill people, it changed people’s lives.

"I never thought I would be on benefits. I’m scared and sad about the thought of benefits being cut. I’m a single parent and I’m not sure how I would get by without it."

Image source, Getty Images

As we reported earlier, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall is set to answer questions about her department in the House of Commons from 14:30 GMT today.

But don't expect any major announcements about benefits cuts - these are expected to come tomorrow instead, when the government announces its reform of the welfare system.

You'll be able to watch Kendall speaking in our page from 14:30 GMT onwards.

Image source, Getty Images

Scotland's First Minister John Swinney is urging the government to "think again" on welfare cuts, adding that he doesn't "like the look" of them based on reports.

"I don't like the look of the speculation that I'm seeing, because I think that has the potential to have an effect on the resources that we have available to invest in social security," he tells PA news agency, explaining that he doesn't think it is the "right thing to do" to "punish" society's vulnerable with these cuts.

"I would encourage the UK government to think again."

While some benefits are controlled by the UK government, others fall under the responsibility of Social Security Scotland.

In 2022, for example, the Adult Disability Payment replaced Personal Independence Payments in Scotland.

We've just had new comments from Keir Starmer's spokesman, who says there are both "moral" and economic reasons to change the welfare system.

As a reminder, the government is expected to announce changes to benefits tomorrow.

Speaking to reporters, Starmer's spokesman says: "The prime minister has been clear there is both a moral and an economic case for fixing our broken social security system that’s holding our people back, and our country back."

The spokesman adds: "Three million people are out of work for health reasons, and one in eight young people not currently in work, education or training.

"So we’ve got a duty to fix the system, to ensure that that safety net is always there for the most vulnerable and severely disabled, but also supports back into work, rather than leaving people written off.”

Asked if the reforms were being carried out because of the UK’s fiscal backdrop, the spokesman replied: "No, I think when you look at the fact that we have the highest level of working-age inactivity due to ill health in western Europe, we’re the only major economy whose employment rate hasn’t recovered since the pandemic, there is a duty to fix the broken system that is letting millions of people in this country down."