Anushka Asthana

4 weeks ago | itv.com | Anushka Asthana

It was awkward for Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall to have to announce major changes to welfare without putting a number on it. I found myself challenging her on how many people would be hit, and how the reforms added up to the £5 billion net savings she had floated. Kendall could not respond. Her answer instead was – we have to wait for the Office For Budget Responsibility (OBR). And now the quango has come up with the goods but they fall well short of the government's hopes.

1 month ago | itv.com | Anushka Asthana

Downing Street is considering whether to introduce a measure to protect the most disabled when they cut benefits for those who are judged to be out of work. I understand that conversations are taking place as officials brace themselves for a potential rebellion over welfare cuts that will be laid out next week, including big reductions to the rate of sickness benefits.

1 month ago | itv.com | Anushka Asthana

The Government is planning to unveil more than £6bn of welfare savings that will see far tougher tests imposed for a key disability benefit, some payments frozen in 2026, and major changes to the way universal credit is calculated, ITV News can reveal. Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, has argued that the welfare system is broken and it is critical to get more people into work. But the changes are likely to be hugely controversial, including with Labour backbenchers.

1 month ago | itv.com | Anushka Asthana

Why is the Government embarking on the biggest shake-up of local government in a generation - and will it be worth it? This policy - to abolish dozens of councils and create larger ones in their place - has not received as much attention as it might, because it is somewhat complicated and occasionally technical. But it does represent an enormous shift in the shape and structure of councils across England. And that makes it highly controversial.

1 month ago | itv.com | Anushka Asthana

A number of senior sources across government have told me that they have been asked to identify the 20% of spending within their departments that they see as lowest priority. One suggested that they had been asked to go even further - up to 40%. The move - which I revealed on the Talking Politics podcast - underlines a series of likely difficult decisions across government spending - alongside billions in welfare cuts - in this spring's spending review.