Starmer faces Labour revolt over plan to raid bank accounts of benefit claimants

Welfare fraud bill would allow funds to be taken from bank accounts and driving licences to be cancelled

• Should benefit claimants risk having their bank accounts spied upon and driving licences revoked? I don’t think so

Keir Starmer is facing a rebellion over his plan to use direct deductions from people’s bank accounts and the cancellation of driving licences as part of a government crackdown on welfare fraud and over-claiming.

In an attempt to claw back the annual £9.7bn in benefit overpayments made by the Department for Work and Pensions due to fraud or error, the government has adopted Conservative plans for debt recovery.