Benefit recipients must “stick to the rules” and get a job or risk losing their benefits, the Work and Pensions Secretary said.
Mel Stride attacked Labour’s “reckless” plans to ease social sanctions while promising to ensure greater fairness for taxpayers.
He made the comments in an article for The Telegraph as the Tories stepped up their attacks on Sir Keir Starmer in a soft touch on benefits.
The Secretary of State has unveiled plans to phase out benefits and benefits for claimants who can work but choose not to.
Under the proposals, those who refuse to look for a job will lose access to free prescriptions and discounted bus travel after six months.
If they still do not look for work, their benefits will be stopped after 18 months.
‘Robust safety net’
“The core of this approach is my belief in honesty. We will always provide a robust safety net to protect people from hardship,” Mr. Stride wrote.
“But we will also always balance this obligation with the expectation that those who can work should do so. That’s only fair – and what taxpayers rightly expect.”
He added that ministers would match “support for those who need it most” with “the expectation that people stick to the rules” by looking for work.
Mr Stride attacked Labour’s proposals to include an end to “punitive sanctions” against benefit claimants in its manifesto, condemning the move as a “reckless approach” and saying it would cost taxpayers an extra £ would cost 2 billion.
Rishi Sunak also took aim at Sir Keir’s position on benefits as he delivered a speech that kicked off a year-long election campaign.
Speaking at Accrington Stanley Football Club, the Prime Minister said the Labor leader has no plan for “how he will control social spending”.
Vote winner
Their comments show that the Tories believe that a tough stance on benefits will win votes and that they want to make this issue a key dividing line.
Mr Stride is set to introduce new legislation on Tuesday that will increase housing support for the poorest families by £800 a year.
Around 1.6 million private renters receiving benefits will see their payments rise to help them cope with the cost of living.
The huge increase, which will appear in their bank accounts from April, will be the first time the level of housing benefit has risen since 2020.
Ministers hope increasing payments will help get more claimants into work.
Campaigners have said that housing insecurity can cause fear and is a key factor stopping people from applying.
It comes after official forecasts showed a further two million people will start claiming disability benefits by the end of this decade.
The increase, driven by a rise in mental health problems, will boost social security costs for the long-term ill by £17 billion to £48 billion by 2030.
Fairness is at the heart of social reform as housing benefits are increased
By Mel Stride, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
I have a confession to make. My New Year’s resolution is not to read more novels, play darts or run a marathon.
In 2024, I will be guided by one simple priority: getting even more people into good jobs.
We’re starting the year in a good place. Conservative reforms – whether making work pay or modernizing the benefits system – have put almost four million more people in work since 2010.
The number of jobs in the economy is at a record high, at almost 37 million, and our unemployment rate is below many of our international peers – including Canada, France and Spain.
Since the pandemic peak, we have reduced the number of economically inactive people by more than 300,000. And we’ve cut national insurance, meaning 27 million people will see more in their wages – with some households earning almost £1,000.
But now my department is introducing the next generation of welfare reforms to help even more people on their journey from benefits to work.
At the core of this approach is my belief in honesty. We will always provide a robust safety net to protect people from hardship, but we will also always balance this obligation with the expectation that those who can work do so. That’s only fair – and what taxpayers rightly expect.
‘£800 better off’
And so today we are making changes that will mean some of the most financially vulnerable households will be on average £800 a year better off. From Glasgow to Gosport, 1.6 million households will receive more support with their housing costs, which we know is one of the main sources of pressure on the cost of living.
By increasing Local Housing Benefit payments by £7 billion over the next five years, we will give more tenants and landlords the peace of mind that their rent is paid.
But at the same time, we are also rolling out our Back to Work plan, which will provide more than a million people with the tailored support they need to find work that suits their circumstances, reducing their dependency on the state .
The Chancellor’s extensive investment in programs such as Universal Support will help thousands more people facing the toughest barriers in the labor market to find work. And our reforms to disability assessments will more than halve the number of disability benefits flowing into the highest level of disability benefits in the coming years.
The plan also includes new measures to ensure that people who are fit and able, who receive 18 months of support and still refuse to work, will have their benefit claims closed.
It is with this balanced approach – support for those who need it most, but the expectation that people play by the rules – that we will maintain our positive employment record. One that has improved the life chances of another 700,000 children now growing up with a working parent, compared to just over a decade ago.
‘Turn a corner’
Compare this to Sir Keir Starmer’s reckless approach. Labour’s only serious proposal for welfare reform is to ease sanctions on benefits, at a potential cost of £2 billion. And their £28bn spending plans would increase borrowing, burdening households with extra taxes and inflation. It is no wonder that Sir Keir’s party never left office with unemployment lower than what they inherited.
We know that the cost of living remains the public’s number one priority. The Prime Minister’s successful mission to reduce inflation visibly reflects that priority – and the current increase in support for renters is just one part of a £104 billion aid package. But now that the economy is in decline, we are making work even more rewarding by lowering taxes for employees and the self-employed and raising real wages, giving people even more opportunities to improve their income through work.
Although the year has only just begun, I believe our approach to welfare policy – protecting the most vulnerable while helping people gain the full benefits of employment – will transform lives for decades to come.