A Conservative leadership candidate has said that the UK spends “too much” on welfare.
Suella Braverman argued that there are “too many people in this country” who are of working age and of good health who are “choosing to rely on benefits” to get by.
It comes as contenders vying to replace Boris Johnson as prime minister clash over their tax plans.
So far, 11 Conservative MPs have declared they are running to become the party’s next leader.
Braverman, attorney general for England and Wales since September last year, has stated that there is “no alternative but radical tax cuts” amidst the cost-of-living crisis.
However, she underlined the need for the Government to look at its current spending.
“I think it’s clear that we will need to reduce spending if we want to cut taxes,” she told ITV News.
“I think we need to look at some of our government budgets, I think we spend too much on welfare.
“There are too many people in this country who are of working age, who are of good health and who are choosing to rely on benefits, on taxpayers’ money – on your money, my money – to get by.”
Elsewhere in the leadership contest, Sajid Javid on Monday set out an estimated £40bn of plans to scrap the corporation tax hike and the national insurance (NI) levy he previously backed.
Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt, running again to be prime minister after his failed bid in 2019, has expressed a desire to “cut all taxes”.
Foreign secretary Liz Truss has vowed to cut taxes from “day one” and to scrap the NI hike that hit in April.
Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi meanwhile has pledged to cut income tax in 2023 and 2024, as well as abolishing green levies on energy bills for two years.
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