Osborne pledges to freeze working age welfare benefits for two years

BIRMINGHAM England (Reuters) - British Chancellor George Osborne said on Monday he would freeze working age benefits for two years if his ruling Conservative party was re-elected in May, saying such action was necessary to protect the country's economic security. "Working age benefits in Britain will have to be frozen for two years. This is the choice Britain needs to take to protect our economic stability," Osborne told his party's annual conference. Osborne said the freeze would exclude disability and pensioner benefits. "The fairest way to reduce welfare bills is to make sure that benefits are not rising faster than the wages of the taxpayers who are paying for them." (Reporting by Kylie MacLellan, William Schomberg and William James; Editing by Andrew Osborn)