Labour is to revive the hated Tory plan to force banks to carry out surveillance on claimants’ accounts and give the DWP police type power to search premises and seize possessions.

The Tory provisions were contained in the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, but this failed to be passed into law before the general election and was therefore scrapped.

Now, however, Labour have announced that they are to include what appear to be very similar provisions in a new Fraud, Error and Debt Bill.

According to the DWP, the new law will give the DWP powers to:

  • Better investigate suspected fraud and new powers of search and seizure so DWP can take greater control investigations into criminal gangs defrauding the taxpayer.
  • Allow DWP to recover debts from individuals who can pay money back but have avoided doing so, bringing greater fairness to debt recoveries.
  • Require banks and financial institutions to share data that may show indications of potential benefit overpayments

The Tory bank surveillance provisions would have forced banks to monitor the accounts of all means-tested benefits claimants and report every time an account went over the capital limit or was used abroad for more than four weeks.

In late 2023, it was estimated that almost 9 million claimants would be caught in the Tory surveillance net, including:

  • 8 million universal credit claimants
  • 6 million employment and support allowance claimants
  • 4 million pension credit claimants

That number is likely to have increased by now, especially with the push to get more people to sign-up for pension credit.

Labour’s new bill will also give the DWP the power to search premises and seize evidence, such as documents, laptops and phones.

The Tory Bill contained similar powers.

It would have allowed designated DWP staff to arrest claimants, search premises and seize any evidence they found without needing to use the police. The DWP said this would put them on a par with HMRC and the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA).

In an attempt to reassure claimants, the DWP today claimed that:

“The Bill will also include safeguarding measures to protect vulnerable customers. Staff will be trained to the highest standards on the appropriate use of any new powers, and we will introduce new oversight and reporting mechanisms, to monitor these new powers. DWP will not have access to people’s bank accounts and will not share their personal information with third parties.”

Labour claim that these powers will only be used against criminal gangs.  But, until we see the text of the bill, we will have no way of knowing whether the law will actually prevent the DWP using their new powers against individual claimants if they so choose.

The outline of the new bill was published today by the DWP to coincide with Kier Starmer’s first speech as prime minister to a Labour party conference.

In his speech, Starmer made only a brief reference to the new bill, saying, “If we want to maintain support for the welfare state, then we will legislate to stop benefit fraud and do everything we can to tackle worklessness.”

Back in April of this year the then prime minister, Rishi Sunak, outlined his plan to give the DWP police powers.  He did this whilst setting out his five point plan for welfare reform in a speech at the right-wing think tank, the Centre for Social justice, founded by Iain Duncan-Smith.

Just five months later, Keir Starmer has announced similar measures, this time in a speech to the Labour party conference.

The other four Sunak points were:

  • The WCA to be made harder to pass
  • GPs no longer to issue fit notes
  • Legacy benefits claimants to move to UC sooner and work requirements to be increased
  • PIP no longer always a cash benefit and fewer people to be eligible

We will now have to wait for Labour’s welfare reform white paper to see whether any of the four remaining points will also be adopted as Labour policy.

An outline of the new Fraud, Error and Debt Bill can be found here.

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  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 20 days ago
    Is there any legal challenge planned to these outrageous proposals. They violate human rights on privacy, and the principle of the assumption of innocence until proven guilty. They put the burden of proof on the individuals under survelliance. And, they are discriminatory.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 27 days ago
    Can benefits and work provide a update to the bank account monitoring article they recently published in a newsletter.  A time frame of the rollout of the bill and the groups affected including pensioners would be appreciated. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 28 days ago
    Is there an update on the time frame of when it will start.  And does it affect state pensioners on housing benefit or pension credit. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 months ago
    The chancellor has just announced that the DWP will now have DIRECT ACCESS to our bank accounts!!!
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 months ago
    They have been surveying claimants bank accounts for some time apparently, so this is nothing new. Banks are required to report if claimants bank accounts go over the savings limits already. But DWP pretend they don’t! Also new measures are in place with the UC review process to look at all claimants bank accounts on a random basis 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 months ago
    Anyone anymore information about this. Is it certain benefits etc 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @Sadly Simon Single men get no financial help In america
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @Sadly Simon The disabled are treated fairly moneywise by the government we may of had the good times now though
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @Labour Out I don't know - I think the UK is still a better country than others, "at this time". In the US the safety net is full of holes and chiefly non-existent. I have a friend who lives in Georgia and she explains how dreadful it is for the poor & mentally ill, if they have no family to support them, as state support is near useless to non-existent.

      I am grateful for the things I have within this moment - that's all I can be, attitude wise, as I know that millions globally have no access to running water, a toilet, a roof, electricity and food. Plus I have a computer and other gadgets.

      Even though I have had mental health issues since a child, the government have always helped me, regardless of the bureaucracy and occasional "nightmares" I have had along the way.

      I am just waiting to see how this all plays out.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @Sadly Simon Thank you Simon - we are no longer a country we are now just a state with a personality 

      You either sink or swim and they have no floats for those won't cant swim

      The UK is done
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 months ago
      @Labour Out One would assume "means tested" ... as in, they want to know what capital a claimant is sitting on and whether the claimant is working on the side etc.

      The tragedy being, I think many people on welfare are not fully cognisant of what they can and can't have, in terms of savings and what is permissible.

      Especially those with long-term "specific" mental health conditions and those without guidance and support.

      I knew a guy who was schizophrenic years ago, he was being jabbed and poked around each month by medical services and didn't know what time of day it was.

      He was receiving the highest tier of welfare, yet lived in squalor. He probably had £1000s just sitting in his flat. He was mugged at a cash point one day, as he came away clutching over £100 in his hand and was unaware of the danger.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 months ago
    It’s scandalous that this goverment will be sticking their nose into every bodies buisness and that’s what will eventually happen if this goes ahead,why don’t they change their name because their a Labour Goverment in name only some of their decisions so far would make a Tory very happy. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 2 months ago
    Well, just listened to Kendall et al and no questions on proposed changes to PIP. So we're going to have to wait until the Budget.  I was hoping that the White Paper may have been published by now, clearly Reeves is I'm charge of welfare reform.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 2 months ago
      @Matt Yes, they will be hoping to bury it somewhere in between a global catastrophe and another attempt on Donald trump’s life. A s*** shower of a party.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 2 months ago
    Just found out the house of lords get a say on benefits  cuts bill ect they can chose to chuck out government proposals I've seen info on the .gov information they chucked out cuts to ESA in 2016 the government tried to appeal twice and lost please look at this as I think there's hope that labour will get the cuts chucked out if lords say no to a bill the government want to pass then it's no.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 2 months ago
      @Matt Ok thanks
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 2 months ago
      @Matt I should also have added that if, for example, the House of Lords were to reject or substantially amend, any future legislation in relation to welfare reform, this can be overturned by the House of Commons once the Bill returns from the Lords.  Recent examples of this include legislation in relation to Brexit, and Rwanda immigration legislation (subsequently dropped by the new Labour Government).  Therefore it can take time for Government legislation to become law, especially if it is contentious. It would help if Labour had a majority of 24 rather than 174.  Therefore, legal challenges to any proposed changes to PIP, UC etc are the likely route.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 2 months ago
      @Jon In answer to your questions, the House of Lords can block/amend bills for up to two years, WITH THE EXCEPTION of money bills (ie, those announced in the Budget).  This is due to the 1911 Parliament Act, before that the Conservative dominated House of Lords kept blocking David Lloyd-George's People's Budget.  Therefore, if there were to be changes announced in the budget I don't think the Lord's will be able to assist; if it is primary legislation then it can be either blocked, or amended.  And of course there is the option of a Judicial Review which would probably go all the way to the Supreme Court as the Govt are very keen to save money under 'welfare'
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 2 months ago
      @Lill Does the house of lords over rule parliament then
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 2 months ago
    I had a bank check completed sept last year. Did a few mins on the phone to answer questions,nothing major, though it's hard on calls for me as I get tongue tied and my brain fog kicks in , the man was patient and decent. He told me after he recieved the bank statements he'd let me know the outcome and return them to me,which he did. Telling me all was in order ,I'm still on IResa ,for now that is until the dreaded UC migration letter arrives. I hope if any of you have to do the bank statement thing it will be straightforward for you all also.
    First thing in dealing with benefits for many years that was.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 2 months ago
    This seems to be weird is it because labour know they won't get everyone off disability benefits so they come up with this thinking it's away to to scare people so they give up their claims ? Don't think it will work With all labours secrets coming out about their gifts from their donors undeclared I think their will be alot of rebellion and these books from John pring clearly haven't been looked at by alot of them but I think one of the labour MPs resigning along with the gifts situation will put pressure on labour to u turn at the budget because as it was put by one MP they won't go through with every benefit cut as they'll be scared of the noise they've already faced a bashing from every corner and their scores in the polls are bad if you put everything said here together their unlikely to cut every disabled persons support because they won't want to lose the next election their is a chance we could see a repeat of what Liz truss did a total crash on the country if reeves go to far with investment spending .
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 2 months ago
      @Lill I understand the situation from their point of view and it's complex. There have been cases of serious fraud taking place, with gangs basically running multiple false claims and costing the tax payer 10s to 100s of £1000s annually, along with individuals sitting on "serious" capital yet still claiming welfare payments. So yes, there are problems within the current system and policing is basically the only way to address the problem. The question remains though, is it an infringement of individual rights to have one's account(s) open to scrutiny without prior consent?

      I don't think this is an effort by the government to scare claimants away or terrorise the vulnerable, although I have to say, this will potentially occur (imo) in very specific cases, where a person is running on high anxiety and paranoia.

      We don't understand the particulars of the bill yet or when this will be fully implemented etc.

      There is so much doom & gloom in the air at this time and I share a measure of this, but refuse to entirely surrender myself to dread and pointless rumination, when I know that the broad majority of us are not criminals and should not have to "feel" this way, nor suffer a burden of shame and discrimination when attempting to navigate the system.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 2 months ago
    I lost hope and gave up on Liz Kendall when:

    1. She got appointed the shadow secretary of state for the DWP and she said that she had always been dreaming of holding this post one day, as I heavily doubted this dream was to be supportive of ill and disabled people.

    2. She started to parrot dishonestly and misleadingly that millions of people who wanted to work were written off-sick, as if these were written off-sick against their will or without their consent.

    3. She started to parrot that claimants had a duty to engage, which is a phrase she got from the report of Alain Millburn, who recommended in his report (which you can read yourself as it's available on the internet) that all sick and disabled people should have a duty to engage with work coaches and be reviewed more frequently by work coaches.

    4. So many organisations have written to her sharing their various concerns, and tantamount of petitions and enquiries have been submitted to her by different bodies and that she has remained silent to date and has never replied to these enquiries, petitions, letters, etc.,  

    Needless to add that, in 2015, she and Harriet Harman were the only members from Labour who had voted for the child benefit cap and cap for benefits in general.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 2 months ago
    https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/cost-of-living/dwp-asks-universal-credit-claimants-30044818

    They are already checking accounts even before the banks begin the automated reporting of suspicious activity.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 2 months ago
      @Anon If you go to your bank branch and ask for 4 months of bank statements they might not be able to do it just at that moment it could be a hassle
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 2 months ago
    All that government contrition over the Post Office scandal...
    A couple months later Labour sweeps to power and what's at the top of their to do list? Grant HMRC and DWP quasi police powers to search, question and charge (vulnerable) people.😳
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 2 months ago
    A lot of these comments are very negative and disturbing. My doctor said Keir Starmer is after those who can work and don't.  He is not saying everyone, even those with  severe mental and phyiscal health problems can work.  

    Some of these comments just send those who already have depression and anxiety into a far worse state.  There are one or two that are more level headed.  Ie this has all been tried before by past Governments and it is never as severe as it sounds at the beginning.   Can we think about this as mental ill health is very real for a few of us and this "we are all for it" attitude really does not help without balance!
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 2 months ago
      @axab43 I think starmer wants 90 percent of us looking for work with adaptations only the terminally I'll are excused
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 2 months ago
      @Matt can i remind you that all major health conditions are initially diagnosed by a consultant following xrays/scans/blood work/assessments/screening tools and then monitored via a GP.  who may or may not, refer back to the consultant if required.
      🙏
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 2 months ago
      @axab43 Then, he should be more clear. 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 2 months ago
      @axab43 My advice is: "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst".
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 2 months ago
      @Anon Keir Starmer has suggested that all claimants of long-term sickness benefits will be expected to look for work under his government’s plans to reform social security.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 2 months ago
     Many peoples husband/wife or partners  do not have joint accounts Would my husbands accounts be included ? Or for that matter any other person in the household ? Being spied on
    Once again the sick and the lame are to be treated as thieves and malingerers Which feeds into the general public Which causes people with disabilities and illness to be treated as frauds and wastrels 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 2 months ago
      @Clare Try not to worry at the moment - nobody really understands what's going on. I know it's easy to get caught up in anxiety (tell me about it!) - none of this will be implemented immediately anyway, so best try to relax and see what happens.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 2 months ago
    With any luck, backlash within the party and Labour MP's will water this bill down. A massive majority means more division for the party. Additionally, if you live in Scotland or Wales, with Labour promising further devolution over their tenure, you could be blanketed from this bill's decision hopefully. I think all of us agree that fraud gangs do need to be cracked down on as they give the rest of us who are genuinely sick and disabled a bad name, but what's concerning for every one of us is how many innocent people will be taken down with them? The budget next month will be the meat and bones of mostly good things, but the welfare state will be the real worry. It will tell us all where Labour stands in the next 5 years of governing. Will they target the countless amount of fraud and tax dodging by the richest? All signs so far show they will, but the recent Winter Fuel Allowance removal for pensioners shows otherwise. They are truly a confusing party to comprehend right now. At least with the Tories we knew what we were getting from them.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 2 months ago
    Keir Starmer saying that "there should be more support to help people back to work" is all a lie. Keir Starmer's plan is all about cutting the welfare budget and cutting benefits to as many claimants as possible. This is exactly what David Cameron used to claim - helping unemployed people get good jobs, while forcing people to do unpaid jobs and murmuring that claimants needed to work for and earn their benefits, until he finally confessed that it was all about cutting the welfare budget and cutting benefits to as many claimants as possible.

    Keir Starmer is nothing but the other face of the same evil and cruel coin.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 2 months ago
    I am disabled.  I don't want to be.  I go through pain and exhaustion every day.  I did not ask to be like this.  Why should I be treated as a pariah and a waste of money. I have been working for 50 years and have destroyed the remaining good health I had in the last 2 years trying to support myself and my disabled son. So now Labour want to treat us as did the Tories. I really would like one of them to meet me face-to-face and tell me what I did to warrant this blame and ill treatment. 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 2 months ago
      @Hazel Dean Are you state pension age, if you've been working for 50 years? If you are then the migration won't affect you.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 2 months ago
    IMO if they take away cash payments especially from people who have hidden disabilities this would increase the crime rate and cause mayhem.If u are disabled through no fault of your own and cannot work why should you be treated as a 3rd class citizen, surely everyone deserves the right to live an enjoyable life.

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