Freud and Byrne in welfare row
Labour has hit out at Lord Freud for his criticism of the “dreadful” benefits system.
Liam Byrne said the Welfare Reform Minister's comments showed the nasty party was "well and truly back". He told PoliticsHome:
"Lord Freud is a former investment banker and now a minister of the crown. For him of all people to compare people on benefits to corpses and likening their lives to a funeral is quite frankly disgusting."
In an
interview with The House magazine, Lord Freud decried a benefits system which he says means people “have a lifestyle” at the state's expense, and said the Government’s reforms would encourage people to “take risks” and seek work.
Asked whether he understood what it was like to spend time on benefits, he replied: "I think you don't have to be the corpse to go to a funeral, which is the implied criticism there."