£800 an hour grabber

THE NEW Labour peer in charge of hunting down benefit fraud earns up to £800 an HOUR for his work as a barrister. Gordon Brown was eager to welcome Lord Grabiner to his crusade against fraud. Grabiner has proposed that if anyone is even suspected of fraud they will be hauled into benefit offices.

Those accused of working illegally could be forced to report to a benefit office every day, even before the case against them has been investigated. Lord Grabiner is a fat cat barrister who "wouldn't get out of bed for a case worth less than £100 million", according to one legal clerk.

• COULD THIS be the future for Rover workers? Unemployed people aged between 25 and 50 are to be told that if they turn down three jobs they will have their benefits stopped. The penalties were first introduced for jobless under 25s. Now it is to be extended to everyone under 50 who has been out of work for 18 months or longer.

Return to index