Andy Burnham to make it harder for people to claim benefits as he vows to ‘get serious’ about cutting welfare bill

Andy Burnham will look to crack down on the welfare bill in a move that could provoke the ire of the very Labour MPs instrumental in bringing him in to replace Sir Keir Starmer. In his first major interview since becoming prime minister, Andy Burnham admitted to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg that the nation’s welfare bill has to be reduced. And he made it clear that going forward certain benefits, including mental health support, will become “conditional” on people taking work and not staying at home. The interview for BBC’s Panorama show also saw him warn that unless there is "substantial change" to the social care system the NHS will collapse, as he looks to fix a crisis which has dogged British politics for decades. With major changes set to come, Mr Burnham has already made clear in clips from the interview released on Sunday that he will not seek a fresh mandate with an early election. He has also insisted he will call out Donald Trump when “it is in the British national interest” and is seeking ways to find the up to £13bn of cash needed to hit the UK’s target of 3 per cent of GDP on defence. open image in gallery Prime Minister Andy Burnham (Jeff Overs/BBC/PA) (PA Media) But with money tight, Mr Burnham has made clear that like his predecessor Sir Keir, he intends to make savings on welfare spending. The issue led to Sir Keir losing his authority as prime minister after he was forced to retreat from plans to cut welfare by £5bn a year following a massive backbench rebellion. Asked about welfare reform, Mr Burnham did not hide from the need to bring the bill down. He said: What you're driving at, which is the welfare bill. I think we've got to get really serious as a country at getting the welfare bill down.” Mr Burnham kept work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden in place despite texts between him and disgraced former Labour peer Peter Mandelson revealing that Mr McFadden had complained about Labour MPs. Mr McFadden told Mandelson: "Every meeting I have is 'who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others'. They're asking the wrong questions." His staying in place while 11 other cabinet ministers were sacked was a sign of intent . Outlining his approach, Mr Burnham explained: “It's about changing the nature of the support and making some of the support conditional upon people taking opportunities that are presented in front of them.