Labour’s Benefits Crackdown

Today, we look at big changes to the benefits system which the government say aim to save £5bn a year by 2030. They were announced in the House of Commons by Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall who said the changes would create a more “pro-work system”. However, charities and some Labour MPs are worried benefit cuts will push disabled people into poverty. Alex and James talk through the changes with Chris, and then are joined by the pensions minister Torsten Bell. And, President Putin has agreed to halt strikes on Ukraine energy targets for 30 days after a call with President Trump. The two men spoke for around 90 minutes, and fresh Ukraine peace talks will also begin in the Middle East immediately, the White House says. Alex and James are joined by Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://discord.gg/m3YPUGv9New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bit.ly/3ENLcS1 Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by James Cook and Alex Forsyth. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Anna Harris and Shiler Mahmoudi. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.