Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is to unveil a new project to ‘root out’ benefit fraud with DWP officials to be granted details of suspects’ bank accounts.
Fraud investigators will be able to force banks to give them information about individual’s finances where they suspect someone is wrongfully claiming benefit payments.
The officials will also be able to carry out searches of property and seizure of assets in cases where organised criminal gangs are abusing the benefits system.
Mr Starmer will set out the plans in a speech at the Labour Party conference, as the project hopes to save the taxpayer £1.6billion over the next five years.
The Labour leader will state that he wants to make sure “every penny” of taxpayer cash goes towards “rebuilding public services”.
Labour are to bring in a Fraud, Error and Debt Bill, with banks to be required to tell DWP officials if a person has savings of more than £16,000, which is the cut off point for claiming some means-tested benefits such as Universal Credit.
The investigators will also look for evidence of claimants being abroad for more than the four weeks allowed when on Universal Credit.
If this is found to be the case, investigators will then look into the matter and work to recover any overpayments.
The Labour Government also want to bring down high levels of sickness benefits, with 2.8 million people currently off work owing to long-term illness.
Mr Starmer will say: “We will get the welfare bill down because we will tackle long-term sickness and get people back to work.
“We will make every penny work for you because we will root out waste and go after tax avoiders. There will be no stone left unturned.”
