Claimants must get a job or risk benefits withdrawal

BENEFITS CLAIMANTS must “play by the rules” and get a job or face losing their handouts, the Work and Pensions Secretary has said.

Mel Stride attacked Labour’s “reckless” plans to soften welfare sanctions as he vowed to ensure greater fairness for the taxpayer, as the Tories ramped up their attacks on Sir Keir Starmer as a soft touch on benefits.

Mr Stride has unveiled plans to remove perks and handouts from claimants who are able to work but choose not to. Under the proposals those who refuse to look for a job will lose access to free prescriptions and discounted bus travel after six months. If they still fail to seek out employment, they will have their benefits cut off after 18 months.

“At the heart of this approach is my belief in fairness. We will always provide a robust safety net to protect people from hardship,” Mr Stride said. “But we will also always balance this obligation with an expectation that those who can work should. That’s only fair – and what taxpayers rightly expect.”

He added that ministers would match “support for those who need it most” with “expectations that people play by the rules” by seeking employment.

Mr Stride attacked Labour’s proposals to include ending “punitive sanctions” against welfare recipients in its manifesto, condemning the move as a “reckless approach” and said it would cost taxpayers an extra £2 billion during the course of the next parliament.

Rishi Sunak also took aim at Sir Keir’s stance on benefits as he gave a speech that fired the starting gun on a yearlong election campaign. Speaking in Accrington, Lancs, the Prime Minister said the Labour leader has no plan for how “to control welfare” spending.

Their remarks show that the Tories believe a tough stance on benefits will prove a vote winner and are looking to make the issue a key dividing line.

Mr Stride is today poised to table new legislation that will increase housing support for the poorest families by £800 a year.