Home town truths could haunt Hutton

Work and pensions secretary John Hutton could have a tricky role balancing the government’s welfare reforms with the needs of his constituents in Barrow-in-Furness.

Hutton, who replaced David Blunkett last week, is leading plans to cut the number of people on incapacity benefit.

But government figures show that 6,100 people – 6.4 per cent of the working-age population – in the Cumbrian town received the benefit while 4.3 per cent were unemployed last year.