Labour plans review of carer’s allowance after thousands forced to repay

Alison McGovern says UK would ‘grind to a halt’ without unpaid carers and confirms party will review system if it wins power

Labour will review the system of carer’s allowance if it wins the general election, the party has confirmed, after the Guardian revealed that scores of unpaid carers were being forced to pay back thousands of pounds for minor breaches of benefit rules.

Thousands of carers have run up huge debts, been given criminal records and been forced to sell their homes when chased by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) over “honest mistakes” that officials could have spotted years earlier.