- The government is implementing a crackdown on child benefit claimants who have moved abroad, aiming to save taxpayers £350 million over the next five years.
- A Cabinet Office team will track the international travel data of benefit claimants, with 200 investigators assigned to uncover wrongful payments.
- A pilot scheme involving 15 investigators successfully recovered £17 million by identifying 2,600 claimants who had left Britain but were still receiving child benefit.
- Cabinet Office minister Georgia Gould stated that the initiative is a clear warning to those attempting to defraud the system, with increased investigative capacity from September.
- The savings are announced amidst ongoing pressure from Labour backbenchers for the government to abolish the two-child cap on child benefit, which is linked to rising child poverty.
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