To those of us with good taste, seal clubbing is not generally considered an agreeable pastime. The Humane World for Animals has previously labelled it as “inherently inhumane” whilst the International Fund for Animal Welfare regards it as “cruel and wasteful.”
And yet, if one listened to those on the left of British politics this morning, they would likely conclude that Helen Whately spends her free time bludgeoning baby seals with a big fat club, spilling their guts and brain matter on the floor for all to see.
That is because the Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions will today announce a series of proposed cuts to Britain’s ever-growing welfare bill. In a document titled ‘Welfare that Works’, Whately will set out a package of reforms which will, if implemented, save the Exchequer just north of £36bn a year. Naturally, this has been labelled by some as an act of immeasurable barbarity. Whately is, in the eyes of some, the personification of cruelty itself.
But to those select few who cry ‘cruelty’, let us look at the state of Britain’s welfare budget. By 2031, welfare spending is expected to reach the dizzyingly high £221.5bn – an increase of close to £60bn since Labour came to power. This has been driven, in large part, by the sheer increase in those claiming welfare payments and benefits. In March this year, for instance, more than 10,000,000 working age Brits were claiming some type of welfare – up by close to 400,000 since 2024.
Is it really much of a surprise that we have ended up here? The growth of ‘sick note culture’ alongside a welfare system that is so ripe for exploitation has led many to fall victim to the clutches of the welfare state. No longer is it viewed as a safety net, which one can fall back on during hard times. Instead, many now see it as a lifestyle choice. As something that has become a part of everyday life.
Rome looks, then, to be burning around us. We have reached the point wherein universities are advising students to sign onto benefits upon graduating, and job centres actively encourage individuals to sign onto Universal Credit – even if they don’t need to. As one MP put it rather bluntly to me, “the welfare bill under Labour is a f**cking disgrace.” Quite.
But it is important here that we don’t absolve ourselves of wrongdoing. It was, after all, a certain Mel Stride who oversaw a £33bn increase in welfare spending before we were booted out of office. We were, and indeed are, by no means perfect but, much like an addiction, one can only begin the road to recovery if they acknowledge that they are part of the problem.
And that, in fairness, is what makes this document so refreshing. It’s a hefty tome, coming in at some 50-odd pages, which sets out detailed proposals on everything from sickness and disability benefits to ending VAT exemptions for the Motability scheme.
Perhaps I have been kidnapped and subjected to some CCHQ-administered propaganda, but I find myself rather chipper about this announcement. It doesn’t read like some half-arsed, poorly concocted press release, but a thorough and detailed report which lays bare the problems facing the welfare state. Indeed, those close to the process tell me that this is a culmination of nearly “18 months” worth of work. And, for the first time in quite a while, it shows.
This is particularly welcome when one looks at the alternatives on display too. To our left sits a Labour Party that appears unwilling or indeed unable to grapple with such problems, and to our right – or left? – sits a Reform Party which continues to drum up shoot-from-the-hip style policies which attempt to offer everything to everyone. Suddenly, the Conservatives look credible.
And it’s clear that this approach is having an effect on the public’s perception of the party too. Just yesterday, it was announced that the Tories overtook Reform in The Telegraph’s poll, for the first time in close to two years. This was, as one MP put to me, proof that the party is “rebuilding voters’ trust through serious, methodical policy” as opposed to the “grievance or political opportunism we see from others.” It’s a line which could’ve quite easily come from a press release, sure, but it gets at something worthwhile.
Because for the last two years, our party has looked, for all intents and purposes, like a corpse. As our opponents jostled for first place, we continued to slip ever-further down the table – being overtaken by the Lib Dems of all parties at one point. But as time has ticked by, the offer of a serious policy platform has slowly wooed people back over. We still have a long way to go, but this announcement is a very good step towards that end goal.
It was said during Conference season that today’s Tory Party is one that wears the badge of the ‘Nasty Party’ with some semblance of pride. That its members frolic about town, boasting of cuts to benefits and how much enjoyment they get out of making people’s lives harder.
But there is a difference between doing what is cruel, and doing what is necessary. Putting an end to a welfare system that traps people in a state of dependency and actively disincentivises work is, from what I can gather, quite the opposite of cruel.
So the left may spend the remainder of today painting Whately as some sadistically-minded seal clubber, belonging to the ‘Nasty Party’ and what not, but the release of this document shows, above all else, a party that is serious about getting back into government.