Stop families who choose not to work getting unlimited benefits, Tories say

Stop families who choose not to work getting unlimited benefits, Tories say12 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleBecky MortonPolitical reporterPA MediaConservative leader Kemi Badenoch says people on benefits should have to make the same choices about their family as those who are notThe Conservatives say they would stop some households being able to get unlimited benefit payments, by reforming the household benefit cap.The cap is a limit on the total amount of benefit payments most working age people can receive.However, there are exemptions for people on some benefits, including Personal Independence Payment (Pip), and for households on universal credit which earn £881 or more a month.If they win power, the Tories have said they would only exempt households from the cap if all adults who can work do so, while receiving benefits such as Pip would no longer be an automatic exemption.The party said its proposals would deliver at least £1bn of savings annually.Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the plans would "stop those who abuse the system getting almost unlimited welfare payments".A total of 111,000 households in Great Britain are affected by the cap, according to the latest government figures.However, the Tories said more than 2.3 million households were claiming benefits above the cap due to exemptions, including work.The level of the cap depends on whether someone lives in or outside Greater London, whether they are single or part of a couple, and whether someone has children.For example, for a couple living outside Greater London, the cap is £1,835 per month.The measure was introduced under the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition in 2013, with the aim of increasing the incentive to work and reducing long-term dependency on benefits.However, critics argue that limiting the amount part-time, low-income or out-of-work households can receive in benefits traps families in poverty. While the cap also applies in Northern Ireland, there is...