Treasury Minister Darren Jones has issued a public apology after sparking outrage by likening benefit cuts for disabled people to reducing a child’s pocket money.
Speaking on BBC’s Politics Live while defending controversial welfare reductions announced in the Spring Statement, Jones attempted to illustrate the government’s plan by comparing it to asking his children to get Saturday jobs to make up for less allowance.
The analogy was quickly condemned as “insulting” and “tone-deaf,” with disability advocates and MPs across the political spectrum calling it patronizing and offensive.
“I’m sorry—it was tactless and not well considered,” Jones said later on ITV’s Peston, acknowledging the backlash.
Families Face Big Losses from Benefit Cuts
Government figures estimate that more than 3 million families will lose an average of £1,720 a year by 2030 due to the changes.
Jones argued that these figures don’t reflect additional government investment in skills and employment programs, but his “pocket money” remark overshadowed the message. He later clarified that it was a poor analogy and did not reflect the seriousness of the issue.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves also distanced herself from the comments. Speaking to LBC, she admitted the comparison was “not the right analogy” and described it as “clumsy,” though she echoed the sentiment that many disabled people want to work and should be supported to do so.
“Of course it’s not pocket money. These are people’s lives,” Reeves added on BBC’s Today program.
Critics Say Cuts Target the Most Vulnerable
The Spring Statement revealed:
- 800,000 people could lose Personal Independence Payments (PIP) by 2030.
- 2.25 million claimants of the Universal Credit health top-up will lose £500/year on average.
- 730,000 future recipients will not receive the support they otherwise would have.
- 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, will be pushed into relative poverty.
While 3.9 million households may gain £265 annually from a boost to Universal Credit’s standard allowance, the overall impact has been described as regressive.
Labour MP Rachael Maskell called the analogy disgraceful, stressing that benefits are a lifeline, not a luxury. Liberal Democrat MP Steve Darling, who is blind, said the comparison showed a “worrying lack of understanding” of the struggles disabled people face daily.
Independent MP Apsana Begum called the remarks “staggering.”
“This isn’t about spare change. It’s about dignity and survival,” a disability rights campaigner posted on X.
Government Under Pressure as Protests Grow
As anxiety grows within Labour ranks and protests erupt outside Parliament, ministers continue to defend their broader aim—moving people from welfare to work. But critics argue that the rhetoric, especially when poorly framed, risks alienating the very people the government claims to support.
Jones’s apology may have closed one chapter of controversy, but the deeper debate over benefit reform is far from over.
