Reforming our welfare system is vital but the Government’s Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill was not true reform. It amounted to arbitrary cuts, not meaningful change. That’s why I voted against it.
This Bill may claim to offer savings, but they are not sustainable. In fact, they risk creating even bigger problems in the future. In 2016, I resigned from my role as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions over similar proposals. Now, under a different government, we are facing the same flawed approach, and I believe this legislation is fundamentally unworkable and will lead to serious and lasting consequences.
What we need is a system that treats people with compassion, that supports recovery, and helps people get back into work if they can do so. We’re seeing the greatest rise in claims from people with mental health conditions, especially depression, anxiety, and ADHD. With the right support and access to treatment, many of these individuals could return to work, which itself can be a health treatment. That would be a much more positive way to look to reform the system rather than what was given to us by the government in their Bill. Through that process we would reduce dependency, control costs, but most importantly help rebuild lives.
The long-term effects of the pandemic are still with us. Shutting down the economy three times in two years to protect public health had dire consequences. Since 2020, the number of workless households has more than doubled. The welfare bill is expected to reach £131 billion by 2030, driven largely by rising claims for long-term sickness and disability.
Sadly, the progress we made through Universal Credit before the pandemic has been undermined. Eligibility rules changed arbitrarily, and we lost face-to-face assessments, both of which made the system less effective.
I’m also deeply concerned that over 1.3 million people could lose their cash support under this Bill. According to government data, this includes thousands with serious physical health conditions, three in four with arthritis, two in three with cardiovascular disease, and even one in three cancer patients.
Mental health is now central to welfare claims, yet our system hasn’t adapted to recognise the difference between those who can recover with support and those who truly cannot work. We must control welfare costs, but we must do it by helping people become independent, not by cutting them off.
