PAYMENT CRACKDOWN
Benefits shake-up for millions unveiled in ‘back to work’ manifesto cutting welfare by £12bn a year – are you affected?
The PM has previously said bringing down the cost of benefits was a 'moral mission'
BENEFITS claimants who do not try to find work within 12 months could see their handouts stopped under drastic changes pledged by Rishi Sunak.
The PM said today he would dramatically reform the welfare system by helping working-age Brits on benefits get a job.
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Launching the Conservative manifesto today, he claimed the reforms - which he has branded a "moral mission" - will cut down on £12 billion a year of waste by the end of the next parliament.
Speaking today, Rishi Sunak said: "We will pay for permanent reductions in taxation by controlling the unsustainable rise in working-age welfare.
"In this party, we believe that it is morally right that those who can work do work and that work is rewarded with workers being able to keep more of their own money.
"We will ensure that we have lower welfare so we can deliver lower taxes."
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The Tory manifesto, released today, also pledges: "We will bring forward the new claimant review point for the long-term unemployed from 18 months to 12 months.
"At the claimant review, work coaches will set renewed conditions for claimants.
Harry Cole reacts to the Conservative election manifesto
"If they fail to accept or comply with those conditions, such as refusing a suitable job or mandatory work placement, their claim will be closed, and their benefits will stop."
It adds: "We believe in fairness and the value of hard work.
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"Alongside a tax system that rewards work, we want a welfare system which supports everyone to fulfil their potential and live dignified and independent lives."
Mr Sunak’s manifesto includes pledges to
- CUT National Insurance by a further 2p by 2027, taking the main rate to 6 per cent
- ABOLISH National Insurance entirely for self-employed workers by 2029
- PROTECT pensioners from ever paying income tax with a new Triple Lock Plus
- GIVE working parents 30 hours a week free childcare by September next year
- CREATE a mandatory new form of national service for 18-year-olds
- IMPOSE a ban on any new green levies that makes Brits pay for Net Zero
- BAN mobile phones in classrooms as well as clamping down on sex education
- BOOSTING defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2030
- SLAP an annual cap on legal migration while pledging immediate Rwanda flights
WHAT DO THE CHANGES MEAN?
The Conservative Party has said that it wants benefits to remain a "safety net" and not a "lifestyle choice".
In response to this, and if elected, the Party has pledged to introduce tougher sanctions rules for claimants who don't take up work after being on benefits for 12 months (instead of 18 months).
The claimant will be forced to sit through meetings with a work coach, who will implement strict conditions that must be followed.
These could include taking up a suitable job or a mandatory work placement.
Fail to follow these rules, and claimants risk having their claims for cash stopped entirely - a whole six months earlier than before.
It comes after the PM blasted Labour for previously "parking people on benefits for life".
WHAT ELSE IS COMING?
Statistics released earlier this year show that the number of those classed as "economically inactive", meaning they are neither in a job nor looking for one, ballooned to 9.25million following the pandemic.
Unless action is taken, spending on benefits for people signed off work with health conditions is set to bloat from £69 billion to £90 billion within five years.
Around half of those signed off have a mental health problem, such as anxiety or depression.
As a result of this, the Conservative Party has also pledged to reform disability benefits "so they are better targeted and reflect people's genuine need."
Within this policy, the government has pledged to:
- Reform PIP assessments to ensure more "objective" considerations of people's needs and help stem the number of "unsustainable" claims.
- Consult on changing whether or not a claimant needs to receive their benefits as cash or through treatments instead.
- It will make the process "simpler and fairer" for those with the most severe conditions.
- Overhaul the fit note process so that "people are not being signed off as sick as default."
- Family doctors and GPs will also lose responsibility for signing fit-for-work documents, with specialists expected to take over.
ANALYSIS: Rishi pulls a rabbit out of the hat - but will it be enough?
By RYAN SABEY, Deputy Political Editor
Rishi Sunak managed to pull one rabbit out of the hat and it will be to the delight of the self-employed to create a nation of enterprise.
The move will double down on his key message of being on the side of working people - insisting it's not right to tax workers twice.
He also launched a blistering attack on Sir Keir Starmer labelling him a socialist - saying he will keep more of the public's money.
The PM even invoked a famous line from the Brad Pitt film Fight Club.
He said: "The first rule of Labour’s tax rises is that you don’t talk about tax rises.”
There was a lot of time spent on Tory forecasts that Labour would hike taxes up by £2,094 for households - saying if you're not sure about Labour's plans "don't vote for it".
He also revealed that he wouldn't put "security and family finances" at risk in the face of eco-zealotry.
There was help for first-time buyers and pensioners as he attempted to win back support from across the ages.
Proposals are also in place to halve migration and then halve it every single year on top of a "regular rhythm" of deportation flights to Rwanda.
The seats he has been visiting during this election campaign show a defensive approach to winnable seats.
I visited Horsham in West Sussex on Monday with the PM which has a 21,000 majority. It's incredible that the Tories are campaigning in such safe seats.
Will this move the dial? He can only hope that he can begin to claw back some support in the face of an all-out assault by Labour, Reform and the Lib Dems.
The Tories have also said they'll splash £700million to create 500,000 slots for therapy treatment by 2030.
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Mental health support will be available in every school, and treatment for young people will be made available across the country.
The Department for Work and Pensions, which oversees the benefits system, will also get more power to identify and eliminate fraud in a similar way to HMRC fighting tax fraud.
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