Mr Osborne has been criticised by Labour for some of the language he has used over welfare - particularly when he sought to draw a distinction between those going to work early in the morning and others whose "curtains were closed".
Mass arrests and public humiliation of individuals who are doing no more than indulging in voyeurism behind closedcurtains may well provide juicy copy for the tabloids but it could well infringe the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees the right to privacy in one's own home.