Report by Duncan Williams for Pulman's Weekly News
The UK Government is preparing to roll out a major crackdown on benefit fraud, with new measures set to be introduced by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) from 2026.
The initiative, part of the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill, is aimed at reducing fraudulent claims and ensuring taxpayer money is used appropriately. The government estimates that the reforms could save up to £1.5 billion over the next five years.
Among the new measures is the Eligibility Verification Measure, which will allow banks and other financial institutions to flag potential breaches of benefit eligibility rules. This will primarily focus on identifying cases where claimants exceed financial thresholds, such as the £16,000 savings limit for Universal Credit.
However, the DWP has been clear that this does not mean it will have direct access to people’s bank accounts or visibility of how claimants spend their money.
The legislation only p…
