Liz Kendall’s difficult task of defending the winter fuel cut

Arguably the most difficult speech of the whole of Labour conference came from Liz Kendall. The Work and Pensions secretary not only had the winter fuel payment cut to deal with, she is also responsible for welfare reform to get people off sickness benefits – one of the most fraught areas of policymaking – and will oversee what are likely to be cuts to benefits enforced by the Treasury in the next few months. Kendall’s aim was to argue to Labour members that the party is still staying true to its principles while doing all of this. 

She did not get a joyful cheer when she promised ‘the biggest reforms to employment support in a generation.’ Nor was there an outpouring of delight in the hall when she went on to promise ‘new plans to join up support for work, health and skills so we tackle the root causes of worklessness.’