KEMI BADENOCH: Spending five years 'searching for work' isn't a safety net, it's a lifestyle choice. The best form of welfare is a well-paid job
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There is no painless way to fix Britain's welfare system. Anyone pretending there is, isn't being serious about the scale of the problem.
Welfare should be a safety net for those in genuine need. It is not meant to be a comfortable option for people who can work, but choose not to.
And we must always remind ourselves that this safety net does not come free. It is paid for by the person getting up at 6am to go to work. By the nurse, the builder, the waitress and the small-business owner who looks at their payslip every month and sees how much has gone in tax.
It was paid for by people like the financier Chris Rokos too, formerly one of Britain's biggest taxpayers, who is now moving himself and his £330million-a-year of taxes to Greece.
When the tax revenues are still not enough to cover government spending on welfare, we borrow the rest. In other words, we ask our children to pay.
That is why the Conservatives are going to do things differently and encourage people on welfare back to work.
Under our changes, jobless claimants who haven't paid enough into the system will have their benefits cut by 30 per cent. Their benefits will be loaded on to a 'Back To Work' card that bans them from buying alcohol and cigarettes, making cash withdrawals or betting.
Anyone fit to work will get six months on full benefits to find a job. After that, the full rate will be kept only by those who have earned it through years of work and contribution.
Conservatives are going to do things differently and encourage people on welfare back to work, writes Tory leader Kemi Badenoch
The welfare safety net was paid for by people like the financier Chris Rokos, formerly one of Britain's biggest taxpayers who is now moving to Greece, says Badenoch
This is basic fairness. Someone who has worked for 40 years, paid their taxes and suddenly loses their job will know the State will be there for them.
But someone who has not worked, or hasn't even tried to, won't get the same support. These measures are necessary to get people back to the workplace.
People who genuinely cannot work because of serious illness or disability will continue to be protected. And this is where I think we need to have a much more grown-up conversation.
We have become far too quick to confuse 'having a condition' with being incapable of working.
You can struggle with something and need your employer to make some adjustments. That does not mean you are incapable of earning a living. In fact, writing people off can be far more cruel.
If we lose the ability to distinguish between someone who cannot work and someone who finds working difficult, the system ceases to function. Nearly 1.2million people classed as 'searching for work' have been on Universal Credit for more than six months, and around 295,000 for more than five years.
Five years is not a temporary safety net: it is a lifestyle choice. The best form of welfare is a well-paid job.
Some people will say these measures are too tough. My response is, tough on who? What about the dad working every day to fund the system? What about the mum who has paid tax her entire working life?
What about our children and grandchildren, whose money we are spending to pay for more and more welfare?
Andy Burnham and I see fairness differently. For me, fairness doesn't mean saying yes to everyone. It means being prepared to say no when something is bad for taxpayers, bad for those written off by the system, bad for Britain.
We need a welfare system built around three simple principles: helping people who genuinely need it, recognising those who have contributed – and ensuring those who can work do so. This may be tough, but it is also fair.
And it is a principle that only the Conservative Party is willing to stand by.
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