Employment minister squirms when confronted with Starmer’s comments on benefits fraudsters

Minister squirms when confronted with Starmer's comments on benefits fraudSource: Sky News

Transcript

00:00people who sign themselves off work to be criminals who game the system?

00:07I think, is that a quote from Keir Starmer's piece? It is. Because actually the criminal

00:13activity in the social security system that really worried me was we had under the last

00:20government under the Tories, we had some dreadful criminal activity, a big case where a group

00:25of organised criminals stole from social security. To me that is absolutely unacceptable.

00:31Yeah, but that's not my question. I know, but I think that's what he was referring

00:35to. But what do you think? What about people who

00:37sign themselves off work when they're not sick? No one should do that. What I think

00:42is that people should stick... Is that criminal activity?

00:44There are criminal sanctions within the social security system, but what I think people should

00:50do is stick to the rules. And that means... Is it criminal activity if you sign yourself

00:55off work and you're not sick? Because you're stealing from the state?

01:00Well, unfortunately, people have stolen from the state and we're bringing forward proposals

01:05to deal with that. When it comes to people who are unwell, we need a system that helps

01:12and support them. But what about when they're not?

01:14People have to stick to the rules. Do you just not want to answer the question?

01:16No, I think you're asking me about specific criminal activity, which I've commented on.

01:21No, you haven't. That's why I keep pressing you on it. My question is, if somebody signs

01:25themselves off sick and they're not sick, they're stealing.

01:28They shouldn't do that. So is it criminal activity?

01:31The state has powers of investigation and that's what should happen. I don't want to

01:37comment on any individual case that hasn't been through that process.

01:40It wasn't an individual case. It was more of a principle.