Will Purnell’s reforms see the light of day?

The response to James Purnell’s welfare proposals has been near-unanimously positive. Here at Coffee House Towers, the feeling – outlined by Fraser here – is that they’re a positive step towards getting some of the UK’s 5.1 million benefit-claimants back into work. And even Purnell’s opposite number, Chris Grayling, has been gracious enough to call the proposals “the right package” (whilst also claiming that they’ve been nabbed from the Tories).

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There’s one major dissenter though – Frank Field. He went on the attack on Today this morning, arguing that the proposals still place too much stress on claimants getting a higher rate of benefit. But it’s his later suggestion that the Purnell reforms will not “see the light of day” that really grabs attention.