The benefits system, created with the best of intentions, is no longer working. As a result, tens of thousands of people are receiving benefits they are not entitled to and thousands are earning money advising people on how to exploit the system.
The current system will – if left unchecked – bankrupt Britain’s finances and has already led to hundreds of thousands of people who could work being stuck on benefits.
More than 100 Labour MPs have vowed to vote down welfare cuts. If this is the reaction to incremental change, what is apparent is that any more fundamental change is not going to be championed by this Labour Government.
Reforming the system to provide meaningful employment pathways, rather than encouraging long-term dependency, is not just an economic necessity, it is a moral imperative.
The events of January 8, 2025, highlight the urgent need for a pragmatic, diversified energy strategy.
Disability should not be seen as a problem to be managed, but as a natural part of the human experience, deserving of respect and accommodation. We can and must do better.
Last month, I accompanied Charlotte Salomon, then the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Norwich North, on a guided walk with the Royal National Institute for Blind People.
Motability is just one of the most visible and politically sensitive manifestations of the growth of disability caseloads among working-age individuals, a visible demonstration of the confused, expensive mess that the welfare system has become.