Kemi Badenoch Vows to Cut Benefits for Long-Term Jobless.
The Conservative Party has pledged to cut Universal Credit by 30% for long-term jobless claimants who have not contributed enough in taxes, paying the reduced amount on a restricted prepaid card.
- 350,000 claimants would move to the lower 'Subsistence Allowance' under the plan.
- £538 million in annual savings is the Tories' estimate by 2029-30.
- Six months of full benefits applies to anyone fit for work before the cut.
- Every two years worked buys one additional year on the full benefit rate.
Why it matters: Welfare spending is forecast to reach £408.6 billion in 2030-31. Badenoch says the current system is unfair to workers and taxpayers and that 'the best welfare is a well-paid job.'
- Sick, disabled, and working Universal Credit claimants would be exempt from the cut.
- The prepaid card would block cash withdrawals and spending on alcohol, cigarettes, and gambling.
How 4 sources split on this story
Where they split: Whether restricting benefits this way would push people into work or drive them deeper into hardship.
Center coverage, 1 sources: The center presents the proposal factually alongside Labour's 'unworkable' charge and the Trussell Trust's criticism, without endorsing either side's characterization.
Left coverage, 1 sources: The left frames the policy as a punitive measure that would deepen poverty for vulnerable people, highlighting charity warnings that Universal Credit already falls short of covering essentials.
Right coverage, 2 sources: The right frames the plan as a necessary crackdown on a system exploited by those who choose not to work, while Reform UK argues it does not go nearly far enough.
Daily Mail2hKemi's ruthless crackdown on benefits street: Tory leader says those who have not worked long enough will see handouts cut 30% and they will be barred from spending the rest on booze, cigarettes and betting
The Sun2hKemi Badenoch vows to cut benefits by a third for claimants who fail to get a job in six monthsWhat’s next: The Conservative conference in Birmingham this October is expected to bring more welfare proposals.
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said his government will revisit benefit reform without 'crude cuts.'
- How the government would verify which claimants have contributed enough to qualify for the full rate.
- Whether a prepaid card scheme is practically enforceable at scale, given past reports of restricted cards used at gambling venues.