Welfare spending is out of control — so much so that it now exceeds the income tax revenues generated by our country. This is neither right nor fair.
Last week, Kemi Badenoch announced that the next Conservative Government will introduce a Back to Work Card, onto which people’s benefits will be paid, with restrictions on taxpayers’ money being spent on alcohol, cigarettes and gambling.
Anyone who has been assessed as fit to work will receive six months of full benefits to find a job. After that, their income support will fall by 30%, with the full rate retained for those who have earned it through years of work and contribution.
This is about basic fairness.
Around 295,000 people have been on Universal Credit and classified as ‘searching for work’ for more than five years. That risks turning a safety net designed to support people through difficult circumstances into something very different.
The Conservatives are clear: those who can work should work.
Our welfare system should support those who genuinely need it, while ensuring that work always pays and that taxpayers’ money is used responsibly.
