Reform UK has unveiled plans that would see 241,000 Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) claimants moved off benefits and into employment by the end of the decade. The party says the measures would cut roughly a quarter of the UK's annual working-age benefits bill, projected to reach £200bn by 2030.
Reform's welfare overhaul and its fiscal impact
According to Reform, the proposals would, taken as a whole, push an additional 241,000 British nationals into jobs. The party also aims to save more than £21bn a year within five years through a redesign of the welfare system, as revealed by Robert Jenrick, Reform's Treasury spokesman and MP for Newark.
Jenrick criticised the current system as "unfair," stating that "the British taxpayer is acting as the welfare state for the world." He also pledged to ban all foreign nationals from claiming benefits as part of a plan to reduce the £50bn welfare bill.
Criticism from charity and political opponents
Kate Lee, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, warned that such a programme could have "enormous unintended consequences," undermining trust between charities and the communities they serve. She added: "If the aim is to help people back into work or become more active in their communities, there are much better ways to work with the voluntary sector to achieve those aims."
Liberal Democrats' work and pensions spokesman Steve Darling branded the proposals "senseless and cruel," saying: "These proposals are a rehash of the same Conservative playbook, proving the party recycles failed ideas just like it recycles ex-Tory MPs. Broad cuts like this ignore the root causes of the welfare bill, and stripping away vital support that keeps many people working and afloat is both senseless and cruel."
Employer incentives and future steps
Jenrick argued that the changes would create a "big incentive" for employers to "look after the employees better, to improve their terms and conditions, the safety in the workplace and the support." He contrasted this with what he called "b******t schemes put in place for people in the workplace which don't really make a differences," suggesting that employers would instead spend money on properly looking after their workforce.
The proposals are part of Reform UK's broader strategy to cut the benefits bill, which the party projects will reach £200bn by 2030. The plan would remove 241,000 people from the DWP system, with the aim of reducing annual spending by a quarter.
