OPINION

       Liz Kendall (Image: Getty)

       Labour’s so-called welfare reform package is nothing more than a token gesture, designed to make it look like action is being taken while fraudsters continue to run rampant. Sir Keir Starmer and his Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall have finally admitted the welfare system is in crisis. With a projected rise in claimants from 2 million to 4.3 million over the next decade, it is clear something must be done.

       But instead of decisive action, Labour has unveiled a feeble ￡5 billion package of reforms — a paltry sum in the face of such a spiralling disaster. This is nothing more than window dressing, designed to create the illusion of action while ensuring the system remains ripe for exploitation. Under Labour’s weak-kneed proposals, eligibility for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) will be marginally tightened, with claimants needing to prove a slightly higher level of incapacity in essential daily activities.

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       Keir Starmer, this is why I know for a fact your benefits cuts crusade is all talk

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       Don't miss... DWP benefit cuts consultation branded 'bogus' for avoiding controversial topics

       Meanwhile, Universal Credit (UC) recipients will face additional reassessments. But these measures do not go nearly far enough.

       Fraudsters will continue to manipulate the system with ease, shifting their tactics to ensure they qualify under the new rules. We have seen this before : every previous attempt to tighten welfare assessments has failed to deliver savings because claimants simply adjust their approach to game the tests.

       Even the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has warned that the projected ￡5 billion savings are “relatively uncertain” and could amount to far less than hoped.

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       The truth is, Labour is too timid to make the real cuts necessary to bring spending under control.

       The cost of disability and sickness benefits has surged by ￡19 billion in just five years, yet Labour’s so-called “crackdown” is expected to claw back just ￡5 billion over the next four years.

       This is nothing more than a drop in the ocean. There is one huge reason that benefits reform won't work: Labour is terrified of its own backbenchers, many of whom are already in open revolt.

       Over 50 MPs grilled Kendall in the Commons, their outrage forcing Labour to abandon the most meaningful cost-cutting measures, such as freezing PIP payments in cash terms.

       This means that while Starmer and Kendall try to present themselves as responsible economic managers, they are, in fact, at the mercy of the hard-left elements within their party.

       Labour’s rank and file simply will not allow the necessary reforms to take place, ensuring Britain remains shackled to an unsustainable welfare state.

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       ‘It took me three years to be approved for PIP - I'm scared for what's to come’

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       Britain’s benefits system is broken. It was designed to support the most vulnerable, but instead, it has become a crutch for those who refuse to work.

       The number of working-age claimants out of work due to long-term sickness has surged to 2.8 million. Many of these people could and should be in employment, yet under Labour’s weak reforms, they will continue to receive handouts with little expectation of self-sufficiency.

       One of Labour’s most glaring failures is its approach to young adults. The government plans to bar those under 22 from claiming the health-related component of Universal Credit, potentially saving ￡330 million.

       While this is a step in the right direction, it does not go nearly far enough. The welfare system should not be a career path for those leaving school ; it should be a last resort. But Labour lacks the courage to make the necessary deeper cuts.

       Britain deserves a government that will take real action to fix this mess. Starmer’s Labour has already shown it is too spineless to do what is necessary.

       The time for tinkering around the edges is over—we need bold, decisive cuts to welfare spending, a complete overhaul of eligibility criteria, and an end to the culture of dependency that has taken hold in this country.

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       Keir Starmer faces humiliating U-turn over ￡6bn benefit cuts as Labour rebellion brews

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       Keir Starmer, this is why I know for a fact your benefits cuts crusade is all talk

       30 Comments

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       Labour dealt huge blow as benefits plan doesn't have support of whole Cabinet, Tories say

       63 Comments

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       9 Comments

       Date DWP benefit cuts come into effect revealed as part of ￡5bn overhaul

       123 Comments

       Labour's DWP benefit cuts consultation branded 'bogus' for avoiding controversial topics

       12 Comments

       Labour's to slash benefit payments for 1 million claimants in ￡5bn cuts

       492 Comments

       Major DWP changes to Universal Credit - and it's good news for claimants

       Comments

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       Thousands of benefit claimants 'just ￡20 away from crisis' even before welfare reforms

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       Anything less is an insult to hardworking taxpayers who are footing the bill for Labour’s failure.

       If Starmer and Kendall refuse to act decisively, the British people will do it for them at the next election.

       Richard Thomson was the Reform UK candidate for Braintree in the 2024 General Election