New Treasury Minister Torsten Bell Advocates Overhaul of UK Welfare Policies
Bell's proposals include raising unemployment benefits, scrapping the pensions triple lock, and reforming Universal Credit to encourage workforce participation.
- Torsten Bell, a former head of the Resolution Foundation, has been appointed to a joint Treasury and Department for Work and Pensions role following a government reshuffle.
- Bell has proposed raising unemployment benefits to 65% of previous wages for the first three months of joblessness, inspired by Denmark's unemployment insurance model.
- He has called for reforms to Universal Credit, including creating a separate work allowance for second earners, to incentivize more women and mothers to join the workforce.
- Bell has criticized the pensions triple lock as unsustainable and advocated linking state pension increases to earnings growth while tightening private pension rules to discourage early retirement.
- While Bell has previously supported ending the two-child benefits cap, his recent voting record suggests he is adapting to political realities in his new ministerial role.
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The Telegraph 
The Times 