Political Times: Ed Balls' gaff, a 'quiet revolution' in welfare and the SNP surge
IBTimes UK takes a look at this week's main Westminster gossip and political news.
General election 2015: Iain Duncan Smith unveils 'quiet revolution' for welfare reform
The senior Tory MP spoke with less than 100 days to go before the general election.
Charities warn UK government data doesn't reflect rising risk of homelessness
Crisis and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation's study said that certain methods mask the growing problem
General election 2015: Former employment minister Mark Hoban to stand down as Fareham MP
The 50-year-old Conservative politician admitted the decision had been difficult.
Britons claiming benefits across EU 'outnumber immigrants getting welfare in the UK'
The Guardian survey figures significantly contrast official government data.
UK state pension: Two million retirees will 'miss out' on new pension
Hargreaves Lansdown warns the new state pension system will be complicated in the short term.
Food bank boss warns of 'rising distress' of families facing 'catastrophic collapse' in income
Chris Mould, chair of the Trussell Trust, also says he has seen unfair benefit decisions rise.
DWP: Government benefits cap pushes job applications up by a third
Government study shows 41% more likely to get a job than people who were unaffected by the cap.
Can new Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy halt the party's slide north of the border?
With voters deserting Labour for SNP in droves, can Murphy turn things around in time for next year's general election?
UK government's back-to-work schemes are 'failing' people with mental health issues
The mental health charity Mind made the warning after conducting a survey.
Baroness Jenkin: Tory peer says poor people remain hungry as they 'don't know how to cook'
Baroness Jenkin claims porridge only costs 4p but poor remain hungry as they don't know how to cook.
Government decision to close fund helping disabled people live independently ruled lawful
High Court rules closure of Independent Living Fund (ILF) is lawful following appeal.
Food banks: Asda and Sainsbury's take up Archbishop Justin Welby's food poverty challenge
The supermarkets have made changes in the wake of the Feeding Britain report from MPs.
Food Banks: Church of England and MPs urge UK government to reform benefits
The All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Hunger in the UK is set to release its report today.
Autumn Statement 2014: George Osborne gives the illusion of Santa but his sack is empty
George Osborne made a tightening of public finances look like a pre-election giveaway.
Smith Commission: Give Scottish Parliament 'Substantial' Welfare and Income Tax Powers
The report, led by Lord Smith, comes after the Scottish independence referendum.
Job Advert 'Written by a Five-Year-Old' Removed from £17m Universal Jobmatch Website
Exclusive: Problems remain at government employment site after denying it will be shut down
Universal Credit: National Audit Office Warns Flagship Benefits Reform May Not Prove Value for Money
Iain Duncan Smith's programme has suffered setbacks but has extended its timetable.
UK Benefit Delays Force People to Food Banks, Warn Oxfam and Church of England
But the DWP dismisses the report and claims it used 'self-selecting' data.
UK Government Faces £16.5bn Benefits and Tax Credits Savings Gap, Warns Institute for Fiscal Studies
Reforms were expected to save £19bn in 2014/15 when compared to 2010/11, not £2.5bn.
Chancellor George Osborne Will Overspend £25bn on UK's Welfare Bill, Labour Claims
Ed Balls, the Shadow Chancellor, says Osborne will 'totally fail' at balancing the books.
Theresa May and Yvette Cooper: Clash of the Future Westminster Party Leaders?
The Conservatives and Labour are already looking beyond David Cameron and Ed Miliband
Public Accounts Committee Uncovers 'Scandal' of Work Programme as Providers 'Park' Disabled Claimants
Margaret Hodge says providers are spending less than half promised on 'harder-to-help' claimants.
UK Government Unveils Credit Threat for Parents who 'Irresponsibly' Refuse to Pay Child Maintenance
Steve Webb MP says a minority of absent parents have got away with failing to pay maintenance.
DWP Dispute: Engineer John McArthur Protests 'Slave Labour' Community Work Placements
Engineer John McArthur mounts one man protest in LAMH Recycle dispute
Ex-Mr Wales Bodybuilder Swindled Government Out of £30k in Disability Benefits
Peter Beddoe had been claiming disability benefits for eight years whilst bodybuilding.
From Welfare Cuts to Child Abuse Scandals: Children's Lives in 21st Century Britain Are Far Harder Than They Should Be
Many children in the UK face homelessness, poverty and abuse.
DWP Accused of 'Planting Fake Tweets' Praising Universal Credit Scheme
Social security department denies tweeting praise for struggling government welfare scheme.
UK Pensioners: Failure to Claim Benefits Leads to 1.6 Million Living in Poverty
However, Age UK says the numbers living in poverty had fallen since 2000
Why Lord Freud Was Right to Question the Minimum Wage for Disabled People
The hyperbolic reaction to Lord Freud's "not worth minimum wage" comments is misguided.