Benefits

The benefits system is broken. There are 5.3 million people in Britain on out of work benefits. Around 3.7 million of these are not required to look for a job for health reasons. A substantial number are under 34 years of age. This number soared when face to face health checks were replaced by remote assessments.

We want an efficient welfare system that helps the genuinely disabled, sick, vulnerable and unemployed to find work. Currently our benefits system encourages dependency and entitlement. This damages mental health, locks people into poverty and wastes talent. Low pay and high tax means many can earn more on benefits than in work. Meanwhile nearly a million job vacancies are unfilled. If you can work you must work. There are too many shirkers and skivers while many with disabilities work hard and pay tax.

Critical reforms needed in the first 100 days:

Make Work Pay.

Lifting the income tax start point to £20,000 per year means an extra £1,500 per year. This would be a key incentive for those on benefits to find work.

Start to Motivate up to 2 Million People Back to Work.

Reforms to benefit support & training will help people back into work. Particular focus on

16-34 year olds. Employment is critical to improving mental health. Tax relief for businesses that undertake apprenticeships.

Enforce a 2-Strike Rule for Job Offers.

All Job seekers and those fit to work must find employment within 4 months or accept a job after 2 offers. Otherwise benefits are withdrawn.

Face to Face, Not Remote Assessment for Personal Independence Payment. Human contact is critical to build relationships and coach people back into work. We will also require independent medical assessments to prove eligibility for payments.

Thereafter:

 Integrate Mental Health Services with Job Seeking Pathways.

Britain’s young people are in the grip of a mental health crisis. Work is a cure not a cause.

Stop Benefit Fraud.

Overhaul anti-fraud practices to ensure the Department for Work and Pensions cut fraudulent benefit claims to negligible levels.