MP for Faversham and Mid Kent. Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
Joined April 2010
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Millions of people on benefits is unaffordable and a sign that our culture has changed.
More people looking to the state to fix things no matter what. Fewer people standing on their own two feet.
Britain cannot be a force in the world with a culture like this.
Helen Whately MP retweeted
This Government wants to make welfare spending EVEN HIGHER.
Meanwhile, next week’s budget will RAISE TAXES.
All Labour MPs ask is “who can we tax to spend more on benefits”. This is the consequence ⬇️
Helen Whately MP retweeted
Heartbreaking that MPs have allowed this to go ahead. Too many chose to look the other way. It is indeed the medical scandal of our time.
🚨226 children, some as young as 11 years old, are about to be given £500 worth of shopping vouchers by the UK Government in order to undertake a puberty blockers trial, placing them on a pathway to infertility.
This is the medical scandal of our time.
jamesesses.co.uk/p/state-san…
One to watch. Andy Burnham wants to introduce free social care (excluding residential costs). That will be monumentally expensive. Demand will also grow. Who will provide the extra care?
Relying on migrant care workers - rather than paying better to attract more British people to work in social care - would be some form of mitigation against that huge cost.
Though of course his free care plan is years away. He could just kick the can down the road like he is for every other difficult decision.
Exclusive:
Shabana Mahmood is fighting a rearguard action to save her migration reforms in the face of mounting public criticism from cabinet colleagues
The home secretary is under pressure to water down her plans to make it harder for foreign workers to claim permanent residence
Andy Burnham, the prime minister, is considering exempting care workers from plans to extend the qualifying period for claiming indefinite leave to remain (ILR) from five years to 15 years
However, the Home Office has argued that the move could backfire because it could lead to an exodus of foreign care workers from their jobs once they gained permanent residence and were no longer bound by the terms of their visas
A senior ally of Mahmood said she retained Burnham’s broad support over the plans: “Andy has been on Shabana’s side throughout this row over ILR. He is holding the line.”
thetimes.com/article/1a6e1a3…
Helen Whately MP retweeted
Polygamy is illegal in the UK. Yet our welfare system pays out benefits to multiple spouses.
Conservatives @RicHolden helped introduce legislation to stop this today.
This Government wants to make welfare spending EVEN HIGHER.
Meanwhile, next week’s budget will RAISE TAXES.
All Labour MPs ask is “who can we tax to spend more on benefits”. This is the consequence ⬇️
Labour will not bring down the welfare bill latest ⬇️
Exclusive:
Britain’s welfare bill is set to continue to rise even after Andy Burnham’s reforms next year.
*Burnham is planning a new welfare bill to cut benefits early next year - probably at the start of a new parliamentary session in April
*Around the same time, ministers will announce the Milburn reforms to encourage young people back to work and improvements to disability benefits
*The fiscal scorecard for these changes will not be published until the Spending Review later in the year
*Under current plans, the upfront cost of Milburn reforms will outweigh any benefit savings for at least two financial years
*This means the overall welfare budget will not see any savings until 2030 at the earliest
*This timeline pushes back any savings (and reallocation of money eg for defence) until well after the next election
Story: telegraph.co.uk/politics/202…
Polygamy is illegal in the UK. Yet our welfare system pays out benefits to multiple spouses.
Conservatives @RicHolden helped introduce legislation to stop this today.
Helen Whately MP retweeted
Britain has been taxed too much for too long.
Andy Burnham’s answer? More tax.
Conservatives will cut taxes, so you can keep more of what you earn.
Small businesses can’t afford to hire.
Why? Labour’s taxes and red tape.
We would cut taxes on small businesses and roll-back job destroying regulations.
But no need to wait - the Chancellor should do that at this Budget.
We’ve published the latest labour market figures.
Commenting on today’s figures, ONS Deputy Director of Labour Market Statistics, David Freeman said 💬
Read the latest Labour market overview ➡️ ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabo…
ALT “While the labour market remains broadly flat in 2026, data from the latest quarter shows the employment rate edging up and a small drop in unemployment. The number of workers on payroll remains slightly down over the same period, though data for the most recent month suggests that might be starting to level off. David Freeman Deputy Director of Labour Market Statistics, ONS
ALT “The number of vacancies has seen its largest fall since the start of the year, concentrated mainly within smaller businesses, which cite increased labour costs as a key factor. David Freeman Deputy Director of Labour Market Statistics, ONS
ALT “Regular wage growth remained relatively stable, though total pay – including bonuses – has eased to its lowest rate in nearly six years.” David Freeman Deputy Director of Labour Market Statistics, ONS
Why a young person should vote Conservative 👇
'Why didn’t you do this when you were in government?'
Watch as @CamillaTominey challenges Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Helen Whately MP over what the Conservatives are offering young people in Britain.
Helen Whately MP retweeted
174,000 more young people wake up without a job under Labour.
The Chancellor should use his Budget to show he’s on their side.
Cut national insurance for 21-24 year olds and scrap business rates for struggling high street shops.
Time for serious welfare reform. Instead the government keeps putting it off for another day. Well said @LanaHempsall 👇
If a diagnosis shouldn't decide what support a child gets at school, why does it carry that weight in welfare? A serious reform agenda distinguishes between those who cannot work, those who could with support, and those who should be expected to. Read the full piece: centrewrite.brightblue.org.u…
174,000 more young people unemployed under Labour.
Yes this IS a moral failure - of Labour’s doing. They have destroyed jobs for young people with taxes & red tape.
We would halve the jobs tax for 21-24 year olds. But let’s not wait for the next election: the Chancellor should do this in his budget next week.
Helen Whately MP retweeted
In today’s Sunday Times, we’ve shared more detail of the blueprint for Britannia Shield with @benrileysmith - including our plan for ‘Radar Drones’.
We’d use MQ-9B ‘Protector’ drones, already in service with the RAF & originally used in the Middle East, for homeland defence. At times of heightened threat, we believe they could augment Early Airborne Warning from the crewed E-7 Wedgetail to give 24/7 long range ‘eyes in the sky’.
174,000 more young people wake up without a job under Labour.
The Chancellor should use his Budget to show he’s on their side.
Cut national insurance for 21-24 year olds and scrap business rates for struggling high street shops.
It’s a start.
But our policies would take far more High Street shops and businesses out of business rate AND we’d cut the jobs tax for young people.
The Chancellor needs to stop taking baby steps and up his game.
Budget latest:
Thousands of high-street shops, cafes, pubs and hairdressers will no longer have to pay business rates as a result of tax changes to be announced on Oct 28.
thetimes.com/article/f5cc0c6…
Helen Whately MP retweeted
Young people should hear about what they can do, not what they can't.
The next Conservative government will help them into work, not leave them signing on the moment they leave school.
Helen Whately MP retweeted
Labour still haven’t learnt that taxes have consequences. John Healey and Andy Burnham need to learn quickly.
Rachel Reeves thought her jobs tax would be paid by businesses. Instead, workers paid the price through job losses and smaller pay rises.
Now Labour want to tax the banks because it looks like an easy way to raise money, doesn’t it?
But banks lend money to people buying homes and businesses creating jobs. Millions of people’s pensions are invested in them too.
Higher taxes mean a smaller pension for you, less lending and less investment, meaning fewer jobs and ordinary people paying the price again.
Labour can’t act shocked when this happens - they have been warned.
