The Government claims it is delivering sensible welfare reforms, but in reality, all they have delivered is chaos and yet another U-turn. They have failed to grasp the reforms needed to deliver the fair welfare system this country needs.
Our welfare bill is spiralling out of control, and it is clear the system needs fixing, and soon. This is not a new problem, and I recognise that this will be a sensitive issue for many. However, we must take control of our welfare spending, and Labour’s attempt has failed miserably.
Their plans lacked ambition, yet they were torpedoed by Labour backbenchers, destroying the Prime Minister’s credibility to lead in the process. The resulting Bill will now cost us more money rather than saving any, and it does nothing to get people back into work.
However, the Government’s incompetence has resulted in thousands more people signing on to incapacity benefits every day. In Mid Bedfordshire alone, we have seen a 14% increase in the number of claimants since Labour came into office last year.
Our welfare bill continues to rise. That is more taxpayers’ money – your money – being spent on welfare. Strangling our economy and threatening the very jobs we need businesses to create to enable people to get back into work.
This is why I believe the two-child limit on Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit must remain in place. While we must always look after those who need support the most, we must strike the right balance.
It would simply not be just, for hard-working parents in Mid Bedfordshire, who have made tough choices regarding the size of their families, to fund open-ended state support, regardless of family size.
We should not be encouraging parents to have children beyond their means, under the assumption that the state will bear the cost.
Projections from the Child Poverty Action Group and the Institute for Fiscal Studies estimate that removing the cap would cost £1billion each year.
With the Government’s economic credibility down the drain after a series of disastrous decisions in their first year of power, it is simply unaffordable and fiscally irresponsible to consider these proposals. Instead, we must consider more thoughtful reform to the welfare system.
This is a monthly guest column provided by
Blake Stephenson, Conservative MP for Mid Bedfordshire.
It is published unedited and does not
reflect the views of the Bedford Independent.
