Labour 'plans benefits human right'

Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith hit out after an Opposition frontbencher said the controversial move would need "really careful handling" and would have to be "bomb proof".

Shadow Scottish minister Willie Bain revealed he was asked by two senior colleagues to examine whether "economic and social rights can be put into law". The request came from shadow justice secretary Sadiq Khan and party policy co-ordinator Jon Cruddas.

The idea emerged as Labour and the Tories continued to trade blows over welfare - which is shaping up to be a key issue at the next election.

There is currently no automatic "right" to state benefits - as the Human Rights Act does not include "socio-economic rights". However, Mr Bain suggested Labour was planning changes at a gala dinner given by the Fabian Society at the National Liberal Club last Tuesday.

Mr Bain told a fellow guest at the dinner, for which members of the public could buy tickets, that the move could be supported by the Liberal Democrats in any future coalition talks.

He suggested Labour might propose a Royal Commission to examine the subject if it got into power.

During the conversation, which was tape recorded and passed to the Sun on Sunday and Sunday Telegraph, Mr Bain said: "Sadiq (Khan) asked me to do this, and Jon Cruddas is keen on this as well, is to look at whether economic and social rights can be put into law.

"At the moment the Human Rights Act just deals with civil political rights. It needs really careful handling because I think the politics of this would be the Tories would say it's a scrounger's charter, helping skivers... It would need to be bomb proof if we were to do it."

Mr Duncan Smith pointed out that national implementation of the coalition's flagship welfare "cap" was beginning next week. "As if we needed any more proof that Labour are still the same old welfare party, Ed Miliband has now decided that claiming benefits is a human right," he said. "This Government is capping benefits so that nobody who's out of work can claim more than the average hard-working family earns."

(2013-07-14/express)