UK Conservatives Propose £47 Billion Public Spending Cuts Including Welfare, Civil Service

The Conservative Party, led by Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride, has pledged to implement £47 billion in spending cuts if it wins the next election, aiming to restore fiscal responsibility. These cuts include reducing the civil service by nearly a quarter, cutting the overseas aid budget to 0.1% of national income, restricting welfare and social housing benefits to UK citizens only, and slashing subsidies for green initiatives like heat pumps and electric vehicles. The welfare cuts, accounting for nearly half of the savings, will target payments to people with low-level mental health issues, replacing cash benefits with treatment, and will exclude immigrants without British citizenship from welfare access. The Tories emphasize the need to live within the country's means and promise transparency in how these savings will be achieved. Meanwhile, Reform UK councils have struggled to find similar savings, with some local authorities considering council tax increases despite pledges to cut wasteful spending. The Conservative plan has faced criticism from opposition parties and some economic think tanks, which argue it overlooks rising costs associated with an aging population.