Emma Lewell MP: Tory austerity led to misery and excess deaths - that is not the Labour way
The UK benefits bill is more than £300billion and predicted to rise, it is accepted that this is too high but there is so much misinformation about what the benefits bill actually entails.
This should be the starting point before any debate. It is important that any decisions made and public support for them are also framed in an understanding of the total make up of benefits bill
Almost 49% of it is the state pension, this is money that people have worked hard for their entire lives, it is not a benefit, but a payment owed.
Other benefits are bereavement support, pension credit, winter fuel payments, carers allowances and statutory maternity pay – all payments that I am sure most of us would not object to.
After state pensions, universal credit and disability benefits combined make up the largest proportion of spend. Just under 40% of universal credit claimants are in work, and disability benefits such as PIP, Disability living allowance and Attendance Allowance are not purely out of work benefits.
Welfare does need reform. It is estimated that there are more than one million people claiming benefits who aren’t in work, but who are able to work, and nearly one million young people not in education or employment
It is worth noting, however, that at the end of September, there were only 691,000 job vacancies across the UK.
This is why the Government need to be creating the conditions for businesses to thrive and grow, and why there should be a relentless focus on buying and building British.
The welfare safety net rightly exists for those who can’t work or who, through no fault of their own, are unemployed. The Government are right to be focussing on support for those who can work – helping them into employment or training – but at the same time they must address the lack of employment opportunities that exist.