Kemi Badenoch has this week announced a new Conservative plan to get those who can work, but choose not to, back into the workplace.
She has stated that if you can work, you should work. Helping people into work is not punishment. The best welfare is a well-paid job.
How the Plan works:
- The first six months are unchanged. Anyone looking for work can claim Universal Credit as normal.
- After six month, you will only be eligible for the full rate if you have worked and paid in for twice as long as you claim. For example: two years of equivalent full employment earns an extra year of full-rate Standard Allowance.
- Jobless claimants who have not paid enough into the system will be put onto a ‘Subsistence Allowance’, cutting their benefits by 30 per cent.
- Those on the Subsistence Allowance will also see their benefits loaded onto a pre-paid benefits card, which will prevent spending on alcohol, cigarettes, gambling, or cash withdrawals.
The policy applies only to people assessed as fit for work and required to look for a job. Anyone assessed as having limited capability for work (the "LCWRA" group) is excluded. Cards like this already exist. The UK already uses "Aspen" cards to pay asylum seekers which block certain purchases, such as gambling and luxury goods, to prevent misuse of public money.
Richard Fuller MP added:
We need a fairer system for taxpayers and working people. Welfare should recognise the contribution people make through years of work, so that what you have paid in should make a difference to the support you get. Our welfare system should be a safety net, not a lifestyle choice.
Too many people are living on benefits instead of paying their own way. The Conservatives won't let anyone stay on benefits for years if they're able to work and people who have worked and paid into the system will have their contributions recognised.
