Cameron urged to cut benefits for middle class

London: David Cameron was under fresh pressure on Sunday night to reduce handouts for middle-class families to cut the rising benefits bill.

He has already signalled he will rein in tax credits for the better off, saying they must share the pain of rebuilding public finances.

But the Tory leader has been urged by senior MPs to go further to bring Britain's spending under control.

It was claimed on Sunday that under a Conservative government a number of benefits would be limited to the most needy. These include the £250 (Dh1,516) winter fuel allowance, £250 child trust fund, £190 pregnancy grant and free TV licences for over-75s. Child benefits worth £20 a week could also be means-tested by the Tories, it was suggested.

Party sources insisted the claims were "without foundation".

However, Cameron has said that, if elected, he is prepared for tough decisions to cut welfare costs.

The results of his efforts to reduce benefit payouts - currently costing more than £80 billion annually - could affect the well-off, with state handouts only for those who need them.

Cameron believes this approach stands in sharp contrast to Gordon Brown's refusal to accept that cuts in public spending will be necessary. In a speech recently, the Opposition leader said: "Can we honestly say it's right for people earning over £50,000 a year to get state benefits in the form of tax credits?"

Families bringing home up to £58,000 - or £66,000 with a child less than a year old - can claim tax credits. Limiting the credits to households earning less than £50,000 would mean 130,000 families losing an average £500 a year.