Prime Minister David Cameron has pointed to more benefit cuts ahead if the Conservative party wins the next election.
Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Cameron called the housing benefit bill "far too high". He continued:
"We've put a cap on housing benefit, but I still think there's more we can do to reform our benefits system."
He promised to keep the 'triple-lock' on pensions which guarantees that they will rise by inflation or above every year, but denied that this was an example of chasing the 'grey vote'.
Those aged over-65 vote more than any other group, leading to accusations that parties favour them when making policy.
Older people may see cuts to their universal benefits though, with the Prime Minister refusing to rule out means testing for bus passes, winter fuel allowances and free TV licences.
In a further clue that a future Tory government would favour the working over the workless, Cameron indicated that he would move to cut taxes for low eawners, while also suggesting further cuts to the top rate were possible.
He said "the priority of this government and the Conservative party – is to target tax reductions on the poorest people in our country … If I had money in the coffers I would target that money at the lowest paid."
Five million people in the UK earn less than £10,000, and a rise in the threshold at which tax starts would not benefit them.
2013 saw a huge assault on benefits by the coalition government, with a cap on the maximum a family can receive, housing benefit cuts, the bedroom tax, below-inflation rises in all benefits and other cuts leading to a big rise in poverty among workless people.