The Conservative Party has criticised Reform's plans for £5 billion worth of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) cuts and has pledged to restore face-to-face assessments for claimants if it wins the next general election.
Helen Whately, a Conservative MP, said Reform had been "nowhere" on the debate on welfare reform, accusing them of "flip-flopping" on the two-child benefit cap and claiming they would only take benefits away from foreigners, which she said would not do enough to bring down the overall bill.
Conservative plans for welfare
Ms Whately outlined the Conservative Party's own plans, stating: "The Conservatives are on the side of working people and we’re clear about our plans. Restore the two-child benefit cap, end benefits for low level mental health conditions, remove benefits from foreign nationals and restore face-to-face assessments."
She added: "Only the Conservatives will get Britain working again."
Labour's response
A Labour Party spokesman called Reform's claim that it could save £50bn "fantasy economics, built on stripping support from disabled people and shifting costs onto employers".
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has signalled he wants to go further on welfare, telling the BBC in July that the country needed to "get serious" about reducing the bill and that he might "increase the conditions on people required to receive benefits". He said this could mean making some support "conditional upon people taking opportunities that are presented in front of them".
Reform's proposals
Reform is due to publish its complete Making Welfare Work paper on Monday, setting out the full detail of the reforms. Under the planned crackdown, a new, regularly-reviewed health security allowance would provide support for the "gravely ill and severely challenged", according to Robert Jenrick.
Employers could also be obliged to pay a "return to work cover" insurance to fund the cost of the first two years after an employee is signed off sick. Mr Jenrick said firms would then have a "strong economic incentive" to return the employee to work.
