Downing Street has put back two major welfare reviews until after the Budget, according to a report on KuCoin News. Downing Street has not confirmed this.
The reviews are the Milburn report, on helping young people not in employment, education or training, and the Timms report, on disability benefits reform. The report does not say when the decision was taken.
It suggests the delay may blunt Conservative and Reform attacks on welfare spending. It also quotes Nigel Farage accusing the government of "handing out mental health disability like Smarties".
Tim Bale, politics professor at Queen Mary University of London, is paraphrased in the report as saying that a signal from the Chancellor, John Healey, in support of welfare reform would complicate Conservative demands for cuts before Labour's plans are known.
The same report says Mr Healey is expected to raise taxes on Wednesday after signalling higher taxes on banks. The Treasury has not confirmed this. The claims come from a single report and have not been independently checked.