Sally-Ann Hart is the former MP for Hastings and Rye and a former Rother district councillor. She is also President of Catholics in the Conservative Party.
There has been much political chat about worklessness, a bloated welfare state and the need for this Labour government to get a grip on ever increasing spending. It is vital that people who can work do so.
Work is about much more than earning a salary. It gives people a sense of purpose, of pride and belonging. It provides skills, friendships, confidence and the knowledge that we are contributing something valuable to our families, communities and country. Dignity in work should be at the heart of political debate about welfare reform, economic growth and the future of this country.
A compassionate society must always support those who genuinely cannot work – a safety net is a sign of a strong, decent, caring country. After all, what kind of society would we be if we do not look after our most vulnerable? But compassion must never be confused with allowing a system to develop which is abused. A system in which people who can work become permanently detached from the world of work, and in which people – especially young people – are left with few expectations, few opportunities and few routes into building the confidence that comes from having a good job.
Waiting until someone has been out of work for years and then asking why they have not found a job must stop. Early intervention matters. Better access to skills, apprenticeships, retraining, occupational health and practical support can prevent temporary difficulty from becoming permanent economic inactivity. Where people face genuine barriers to work, the government should help remove them. Where people can work, the expectation should be that they do.
The U.K.’s welfare bill is rising alarmingly, all whilst businesses struggle and economic growth remains stubbornly stagnant. We cannot build a resilient economy or a safe, confident, and content society if too many people are divorced from the world of work, and too many businesses are discouraged – prevented, even – by Labour’s policies from creating the jobs that provide opportunity.
Burnham’s new government must get a grip on welfare reform which is holding back economic growth.
Catholics in the Conservative Party are keen to emphasise that the principle of dignity in work sits naturally for Conservatives, and where someone can work, the system should help them move towards work. Where someone needs support, that support should be available.
This is what Universal Credit aimed to do. To simplify the welfare system, make work pay and help people move towards greater independence. This is especially important for younger people because a generation growing up believing that government benefits are a permanent alternative to participating in society is missing out. Young people are being denied the important things that work provides – skills, friendships, community, self-esteem and a sense of purpose. It does not mean removing compassion. It means restoring ambition, and it means giving people the confidence and support to fulfil their potential.
The same principle applies to Personal Independence Payments (PIP). The abuse of the system is mindboggling, and disability benefits must be protected for those who genuinely need them. A responsible government would examine whether the current system is delivering the right outcomes. Reform should not be about taking support away from people who genuinely need it. It should be about ensuring that support does what it is supposed to do: provide security when people need it whilst helping those who can regain independence to do so.
Conservatives understand that a successful welfare system should be fair. It should be a springboard, not a destination. Kemi Badenoch’s renewed focus on Getting Britain Working Again is so important – reducing and restricting benefits where appropriate, addressing the problems created by a growing diagnosis culture, reviewing the Household Benefit Cap and pursuing new economic measures must be accompanied by skills, apprenticeships, better health support and practical help to remove the barriers that prevent people from taking up opportunities.
After all, to coin a phrase from Churchill, a country’s greatest asset is not just a healthy population, it is also an educated one.
Dignity in work depends on whether there is work to do. This is why we are rightly concerned about Labour’s Employment Rights Act and its wider package of employment reforms, because they further tip the balance against businesses which provide the jobs we desperately need. Good employers should be supported – and poor employment practices should be challenged – but a successful company requires flexibility, confidence and the ability to adapt. SMEs cannot continue to absorb endless regulations, costs and uncertainty. This government has made it so hard to employ people, invest and expand that it is not just opportunities for workers that suffer, but also our economy and our economic resilience too.
We face a volatile world which is ripe with geopolitical instability, technological change, changing global markets and the pressures of a changing climate and an ageing population. So, we need a workforce which is adaptable, confident and equipped for the future.
Conservatives know that government does not grow our economy, we do. The role of government is to create the conditions in which people (and businesses) can flourish. A growing economy, excellent education and skills, support when people fall into difficulty with a welfare system that encourages independence and contribution requires partnership between government, employers, communities, families and individuals. We all have responsibilities to ourselves, our families, workplaces and communities to create a successful society. It is not all about rights, and too many people in this country have forgotten that rights come with responsibilities. We should not be afraid to say so.
Dignity in work lies in recognising that every person has something valuable to offer. Working is not just between the employer and the employee, it gives people the opportunity to build something for themselves, to support their families, to contribute to their communities and to know that their efforts matter.
Kemi’s ‘Get Britain Working Again’ plan matters. It is a practical, workable policy where everyone who can work is encouraged and enabled to do so, where businesses are trusted to create opportunity and where support is provided with both compassion and expectation. It is not just about reducing the welfare bill. It is about restoring the link between work and opportunity, between responsibility and independence, between contribution and dignity.
A country where people feel valued, needed and able to contribute is not just a prosperous country, it is also a stronger, more resilient and more hopeful one.
Sally-Ann Hart is the former MP for Hastings and Rye and a former Rother district councillor. She is also President of Catholics in the Conservative Party.
There has been much political chat about worklessness, a bloated welfare state and the need for this Labour government to get a grip on ever increasing spending. It is vital that people who can work do so.
Work is about much more than earning a salary. It gives people a sense of purpose, of pride and belonging. It provides skills, friendships, confidence and the knowledge that we are contributing something valuable to our families, communities and country. Dignity in work should be at the heart of political debate about welfare reform, economic growth and the future of this country.
A compassionate society must always support those who genuinely cannot work – a safety net is a sign of a strong, decent, caring country. After all, what kind of society would we be if we do not look after our most vulnerable? But compassion must never be confused with allowing a system to develop which is abused. A system in which people who can work become permanently detached from the world of work, and in which people – especially young people – are left with few expectations, few opportunities and few routes into building the confidence that comes from having a good job.
Waiting until someone has been out of work for years and then asking why they have not found a job must stop. Early intervention matters. Better access to skills, apprenticeships, retraining, occupational health and practical support can prevent temporary difficulty from becoming permanent economic inactivity. Where people face genuine barriers to work, the government should help remove them. Where people can work, the expectation should be that they do.
The U.K.’s welfare bill is rising alarmingly, all whilst businesses struggle and economic growth remains stubbornly stagnant. We cannot build a resilient economy or a safe, confident, and content society if too many people are divorced from the world of work, and too many businesses are discouraged – prevented, even – by Labour’s policies from creating the jobs that provide opportunity.
Burnham’s new government must get a grip on welfare reform which is holding back economic growth.
Catholics in the Conservative Party are keen to emphasise that the principle of dignity in work sits naturally for Conservatives, and where someone can work, the system should help them move towards work. Where someone needs support, that support should be available.
This is what Universal Credit aimed to do. To simplify the welfare system, make work pay and help people move towards greater independence. This is especially important for younger people because a generation growing up believing that government benefits are a permanent alternative to participating in society is missing out. Young people are being denied the important things that work provides – skills, friendships, community, self-esteem and a sense of purpose. It does not mean removing compassion. It means restoring ambition, and it means giving people the confidence and support to fulfil their potential.
The same principle applies to Personal Independence Payments (PIP). The abuse of the system is mindboggling, and disability benefits must be protected for those who genuinely need them. A responsible government would examine whether the current system is delivering the right outcomes. Reform should not be about taking support away from people who genuinely need it. It should be about ensuring that support does what it is supposed to do: provide security when people need it whilst helping those who can regain independence to do so.
Conservatives understand that a successful welfare system should be fair. It should be a springboard, not a destination. Kemi Badenoch’s renewed focus on Getting Britain Working Again is so important – reducing and restricting benefits where appropriate, addressing the problems created by a growing diagnosis culture, reviewing the Household Benefit Cap and pursuing new economic measures must be accompanied by skills, apprenticeships, better health support and practical help to remove the barriers that prevent people from taking up opportunities.
After all, to coin a phrase from Churchill, a country’s greatest asset is not just a healthy population, it is also an educated one.
Dignity in work depends on whether there is work to do. This is why we are rightly concerned about Labour’s Employment Rights Act and its wider package of employment reforms, because they further tip the balance against businesses which provide the jobs we desperately need. Good employers should be supported – and poor employment practices should be challenged – but a successful company requires flexibility, confidence and the ability to adapt. SMEs cannot continue to absorb endless regulations, costs and uncertainty. This government has made it so hard to employ people, invest and expand that it is not just opportunities for workers that suffer, but also our economy and our economic resilience too.
We face a volatile world which is ripe with geopolitical instability, technological change, changing global markets and the pressures of a changing climate and an ageing population. So, we need a workforce which is adaptable, confident and equipped for the future.
Conservatives know that government does not grow our economy, we do. The role of government is to create the conditions in which people (and businesses) can flourish. A growing economy, excellent education and skills, support when people fall into difficulty with a welfare system that encourages independence and contribution requires partnership between government, employers, communities, families and individuals. We all have responsibilities to ourselves, our families, workplaces and communities to create a successful society. It is not all about rights, and too many people in this country have forgotten that rights come with responsibilities. We should not be afraid to say so.
Dignity in work lies in recognising that every person has something valuable to offer. Working is not just between the employer and the employee, it gives people the opportunity to build something for themselves, to support their families, to contribute to their communities and to know that their efforts matter.
Kemi’s ‘Get Britain Working Again’ plan matters. It is a practical, workable policy where everyone who can work is encouraged and enabled to do so, where businesses are trusted to create opportunity and where support is provided with both compassion and expectation. It is not just about reducing the welfare bill. It is about restoring the link between work and opportunity, between responsibility and independence, between contribution and dignity.
A country where people feel valued, needed and able to contribute is not just a prosperous country, it is also a stronger, more resilient and more hopeful one.