Liz Kendall said some people on benefits “are taking the mickey” – and Diane Abbott spoke for many with her blunt response
If you hadn’t noticed by now, the Labour government is doing whatever it can to stimulate growth in the sluggish UK economy – and that includes getting more people back into work.
Hot on the heels of the shadow business secretary Chris Philp saying Britons need “a better work ethic”, we now have the Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall, saying some people claiming benefits are “taking the mickey”.
“There are people who shouldn’t be on benefits who are taking the mickey”
Speaking to @AnushkaAsthana, Liz Kendall says there are too many people claiming benefits when they shouldn’t be
“That is not good enough – we have to end that,” she sayshttps://t.co/G9fLKcXdzr pic.twitter.com/NoBIH1nQVf
— ITVPolitics (@ITVNewsPolitics) February 6, 2025
In the interview, Kendall acknowledges that some people on benefits cannot yet return to work for health or medical reasons (while seemingly forgetting or ignoring the issue of long-term health problems). However, her comments have not gone down well in general, with many seeing it as coming after easy targets.
1.
No,they are not. Stop parroting this bullshit and tax billionaires. https://t.co/0YlGqiYuYy
— Matthew Mckew (@matthewpmckew) February 6, 2025
2.
This is one of the most blatant examples of disability denial I have EVER seen.
Liz Kendall is literally telling people they are wrong. She is not disabled. She is not a clinician. She is not an activist. pic.twitter.com/9hPjDAeZk0
— Dr Jay Watts (@Shrink_at_Large) February 7, 2025
3.
Me last night: Maybe this week’s column was a bit harsh on Labour. Perhaps they’ll start to see disability benefits in a more nuanced way and respect the people relying on them.
Labour this morning: https://t.co/VWvvY0HJ1G pic.twitter.com/gRVfVgKtrQ
— Frances Ryan (@DrFrancesRyan) February 7, 2025
4.
‘It was a nightmare.. I was interrogated.’
‘What is Liz Kendall talking about then?’As the Work and Pensions Sec takes aim at people claiming benefits ‘taking the mickey’, @TomSwarbrick1 hears a different reality from disabled caller Dave. pic.twitter.com/B26tFQjVW2
— LBC (@LBC) February 7, 2025
5.
More scapegoating from this govt who are just delivering more of the same rubbish we had from the Tories.
Money paid out in benefits only goes out into local economies and back into the treasury. Unlike contracts to people like Michelle Mone.
Where is the drive to get back the…
— Liz Webster (@LizWebsterSBF) February 7, 2025
6.
Just wait until Liz Kendall finds out about all the CEO’s who make £billions in profits annually but pay their workforce so badly that they rely on state handouts to top up their wages https://t.co/BuwqKFwBff
— Ben (@FTLP_FTT) February 7, 2025
7.
Liz Kendall claiming it’s ‘hard’ to take stuff off disabled people.
Nope. They’re just easy targets. Go after tax avoiders and high level financial fraud. https://t.co/8PAQdBrK4P— ben… (@behyitersen) February 6, 2025
8.
Labour MP Liz Kendall says some people on benefits are taking the mickey
She is absolutely right
Look at these unelected scroungers, who bill taxpayers £361-a-day to turn up at the House of Lords and fall asleep. They also get travel expenses and subsidised food
Outrageous pic.twitter.com/JbLccML3nN
— Socialist Voice (@SocialistVoice) February 7, 2025
9.
Liz Kendall is correct to say that some people take the piss, but it’s a tiny minority. The problem is that in using such language she is writing the headline, because this is the sort of inflammatory shit the media lap up. Both she & they understand the game. pic.twitter.com/4hqXfFWD9D
— David Timoney (@fromarsetoelbow) February 7, 2025
10.
Liz Kendall claiming it’s ‘hard’ to take stuff off disabled people.
Nope. They’re just easy targets. Go after tax avoiders and high level financial fraud. https://t.co/8PAQdBrK4P— ben… (@behyitersen) February 6, 2025
11.
How many disabled people receiving support from PIP (personal independence payment), often to actually enable them to go to work, are “taking the mickey” @leicesterliz?
People need to know the level of the huge scandal! ⬇️‼️ pic.twitter.com/NSCyMwUvHy
— Judy Hamilton (@secretspartacus) February 7, 2025
12.
No,they are not. Stop parroting this bullshit and tax billionaires. https://t.co/0YlGqiYuYy
— Matthew Mckew (@matthewpmckew) February 6, 2025
13.
There are far more people avoiding and evading tax that are taking the mickey than there are on benefits. Of course Kendall endorses the former, and will spend millions trying root out the handful of people scamming benefits for hundreds
— Stuart G (@AvidInquirer) February 7, 2025
Inevitably, the discussion got round to MPs and their expenses…
14.
Liz Kendall has already claimed £6139.18 in expenses for rent, utility bills and council tax since getting into government.
In that time, she has been paid an MPs salary of £91,346 a year, PLUS an additional ministerial salary of £67,505.
The fucking cheek of it. https://t.co/h26wZO8ifl pic.twitter.com/WsRBvNavkJ
— Tom (@TomLevins1) February 6, 2025
15.
To many MP’s are taking the mickey with their expenses and we can show evidence of that, she can not show evidence of those ‘taking the mickey’
— Jen Wood – est optimum simpliciter (@unojen_wood) February 7, 2025
Which led to this intervention from Kendall’s Labour colleague, Diane Abbott:
16.
Maybe some MPs are also “taking the mickey” https://t.co/X6d5Aihs3O
— Diane Abbott (@HackneyAbbott) February 7, 2025
17.
https://t.co/lxp6zSwmVI pic.twitter.com/TjETPmSH6j
— RiShawn Biddle (@dropoutnation) February 7, 2025
18.
Get her Diane https://t.co/c4Bk26AkZJ
— Emma (@scousepie) February 7, 2025
19.
@HackneyAbbott not taking any prisoners https://t.co/xRppBpbvV9
— Hitesh Teli (@artistteli) February 7, 2025
20.
I quite like how Diane Abbott just openly loathes most of the horrors in this Labour cabinet. https://t.co/DdACz0LfKW
— Danielle C (@Dani1987C) February 7, 2025
Source: Twitter/X/itvnewspolitics