Two Labour ministers implementing welfare reforms that force banks to monitor the accounts of benefit recipients raised ‘substantial concerns’ when the measure was proposed by the Conservatives in government.

Sir Stephen Timms and Baroness Sherlock opposed Tory plans to give officials the power to inspect the bank accounts of anyone claiming a social security benefit.

Yet both are sitting ministers in the Department for Work and Pensions, which this month announced plans to take money directly from benefit fraudsters’ accounts as part of a welfare crackdown.

In 2023, Sir Stephen said the Conservatives’ Data Protection and Digital Information Bill would represent ‘surveillance where there is absolutely no suspicion at all, which is a substantial expansion of the state’s powers to intrude’.

Sir Stephen Timms, who is backing the implementing of welfare reforms that force banks to monitor accounts of benefit recipients raised ‘substantial concerns’ when the measure was proposed by the Conservatives in government

Baroness Sherlock also opposed Tory plans to give officials the power to inspect the bank accounts of anyone claiming a social security benefit

He added: ‘I think that all of us would agree, whatever party we are in, that the powers of the state should be limited to those absolutely necessary.’

Sir Stephen said tonight: ‘My interventions in that debate pointed out how inappropriate it was to include the state pension, which has no saving limits.

‘Key privacy safeguards have also been added, so that the new Bill is a good one.’

Baroness Sherlock was contacted for comment.