Southport Conservatives Label Labour's Welfare Bill a 'Missed Opportunity'

Labour’s Welfare Bill is a Missed Opportunity – Conservatives Will Make Welfare Work

With a vote in Parliament on Labour’s Welfare Bill looming, along with a potentially huge rebellion by well over 100 Labour MP’s, Conservatives in Southport are calling the bill a missed opportunity for genuine change in welfare spending and the system as a whole.

Mike Prendergast, Spokesperson for Southport Conservatives said, “Since the pandemic, welfare spending has spiralled out of control. On the basis of the figures available we appear to have become sicker as a nation with more people than ever out of work on long term benefits.” 

“We aren’t sicker as a nation and what is clear is that the welfare system needs genuine and meaningful reform.”

“The Office for Budget Responsibility now forecasts that spending on health and disability benefits will hit nearly £100 billion a year by the end of the decade. Even with Labour’s proposed changes that will reach nearly £98 billion.”

“That is almost one in every four pounds of income tax – more than the entire defence budget. This level of spending is not sustainable, and it threatens our ability to invest in jobs, public services and national security.”

“The Conservatives went into the last election with a clear, costed plan to save £12 billion a year from the welfare bill while supporting people back into work. We proposed meaningful reforms to assessments, improved support for those who can work, and tougher sanctions for those who can work but choose not to.”

“Labour, in contrast, entered government with no plan. Their rushed and ill-thought-out Bill shows it. They ran an election campaign without any plan to tackle the ballooning welfare budget.”

“Even their own forecasts suggest 200,000 more people – including 50,000 children – could be pushed into absolute poverty, while PIP case numbers are still set to rise by almost a quarter.”

“Worse still, Labour can’t even say whether their plans will help a single extra person into work.”

“Unemployment is now at its highest level in four years. The number of unemployed people has risen by 12% since Labour took office – yet their flagship welfare reforms do nothing to support job creation.”

“It is not compassionate or caring to trap those who could work in a system of state dependency. It’s right that we have a system that does provide support for those who simply cannot work but we can’t continue to pay people who could work.”

“Every day, thousands of people across Southport get up early and go out to work to support themselves and their families. It’s not fair on those people, who pay their taxes, to see their money go into a system that isn’t working when they are.”

“Our current Labour MP looks like he’ll be rebelling against the government. Yet on winter fuel cuts for around 20,500 Southport pensioners, increases in National Insurance for local businesses and the Family Farm Tax that will affect many farmers in the Northern Parishes, he is happy to support measures that harm his own constituents.”

“The Conservative approach is clear: we will reduce the size of the state, rein in the welfare bill, and get people back into work. Labour’s approach is unfair on taxpayers, damaging to claimants, and completely unsustainable.”

“If Labour produce serious proposals to reform and reduce welfare spending, get people off benefits and back into work and commit to not raising taxes at the Budget, then Conservatives in Parliament have already committed to supporting the government but only if they are serious about meaningful change.”