Cameron talks tough on benefit fraud

The public should not be concerned that private firms could be recruited to help track down benefit fraudsters, David Cameron has said.

The Prime Minister said the state was entitled to call on outside help to try to reduce the £1.5 billion lost by taxpayers to benefit fraud every year.

Visiting a centre in Greater Manchester which specialises in getting people off welfare and into work, he said the country needed to regain the sense that claiming benefits you were not entitled to was "morally wrong".

Earlier he announced an "uncompromising" crackdown on benefit cheats which will be unveiled in the autumn.

He said reducing the £5.2 billion annual cost of fraud and error would be the "first and deepest" cut in public spending and that credit rating agencies could be recruited to help identify false claims.

Mr Cameron added: "There are some people who are claiming welfare who are not entitled to it and that is just wrong and that should stop. As a country as we start to make savings to get our budget deficit under control the first cut we ought to make is the welfare payments to people who are not entitled to it."