by Gareth Morgan on December 29, 2025
There might almost seem to be a deliberate campaign by some of the press to mislead or distort the rules and rates around benefits entitlements. In particular, there seems to be a trend, amongst the usual suspects, to compare those in low paid, or no, work with those earning more in a way which implies […]
by Gareth Morgan on December 1, 2025
“Working families £18k worse off than benefit claimants after Budget” Telegraph November 29th 2025 The abolition of the two-child benefit limit in the budget attracted a lot of comment. From the Government and its supporters came a stream of articles and postings lauding the action at the number of families and children that it will […]
by Gareth Morgan on October 25, 2025
The real winner from a National Living Wage increase is the Treasury which can take over 90% of the extra paid. The biggest losers are employers. I have written, for several years, in my blog about the real money transfer effects of increases in the National Living Wage (NLW) for many low earners. The message […]
by Gareth Morgan on October 31, 2024
My annual updated version of the blogs which were posted here in April 2021, November 2022, and November 2023. This now uses the NLW figure of £12.21 an hour, and the changes to employers NI announced in the Budget of 30th October. The content is still the same examination of the questionable claim that the […]
by Gareth Morgan on November 22, 2023
An updated version of the blogs which were posted here in November 2022 and April 2022. This now uses the NLW figure of £11.44 an hour and the 10% employee NI rate, announced in the Autumn Statement of 22nd November. The message is the same. The real winner from the NLW increase is the Treasury. […]
by Gareth Morgan on June 21, 2023
Those with long memories may remember the days when the means-tested benefits system offered real help to those with mortgages. Payments to lenders contributed, sometimes generously, to the liability of borrowers for interest payments. There has never been any help towards capital repayments within the benefit system. Things changed in 2018. Mortgage interest help, as […]
by Gareth Morgan on March 15, 2023
Today’s childcare announcements in the budget are welcome, they are more helpful than the current support. The changes will make a real difference. Piloting incentive payments for childminders, increasing funding to nurseries providing free childcare, and changing minimum staff-to-child ratios from 1 staff member for every 4 children to 1 to 5 may help increase […]
by Gareth Morgan on November 15, 2022
A tweaked version of the blog which was posted here on November 15th. This now uses the NLW figureof £10.42 an hour, announced in the Autumn Statement of 17th November. The differences are small but deserve precision. Another update to my previous postings, looking at the real gains (and for whom) of increases in the […]
by Gareth Morgan on October 6, 2022
The driver for limiting benefits increases, instead of linking them to inflation, appears to be presented as an argument that it’s not fair for working people to receive a 5% pay increase while people on benefits will get around 10%. That seems to be a very simple and easy comparison to make and might appear […]
by Gareth Morgan on October 4, 2022
People know that when their bills arrive, they can either cut their consumption or they can get a higher salary, higher wages, go out there and get that new job – Jake Berry MP. Conservative Party Chairman The ‘fiscal event‘, and its reactions and consequences, are not what I really want to look at in […]