Rishi Sunak declares massive £12bn benefits crackdown is his 'moral mission'

Rishi Sunak vowed to cut the welfare bill by £12billion and declared his “moral mission” is to get more people into work. The Conservative manifesto will include a crackdown on benefits following warnings that the cost is soaring.

The Prime Minister aims to reverse a massive increase in claimants, after the number off work for health reasons increased from two million to 2.8 million following the Covid pandemic.

He said: “Reforming welfare is a moral mission. Work is a source of dignity, purpose and hope and I want everyone to be able to overcome whatever barriers they might face to living independent, fulfilling lives.

“That’s why we have announced a significant increase in mental health provision, as well as changes to ensure those who can work, do work.

“That’s the choice at this election – between our clear plan that’s fair to taxpayers and fair to people who need help, and Labour who have no plan to control welfare spending and will land working families with a £2,094 tax bill.”

Spending on benefits for people of working age with a disability or health condition is projected to increase from £69billion to £90billion within five years, unless action is taken.

Over half of those signed off have a mental health problem such as anxiety or depression.

The Conservative plan includes spending £700million to transform NHS mental health treatment, with more than 500,000 additional people a year receiving therapy by 2030.

Mental health support will be available in every school and treatment for young people will be made available across the country.

There will be tougher sanctions for people who are able to work but refuse to take up suitable jobs - with their benefits removed entirely after a year. The Department for Work and Pensions, which oversees the benefits system, will receive new enforcement powers to fight benefits fraud in a similar way to tax fraud.

Rules for claiming benefits will be tightened up so that people with more moderate mental health or mobility issues are expected to find work.

And hard-pressed GPs will lose responsibility for signing fit notes, which confirm whether someone is fit for work, with specialist work and health professionals carrying out assessments instead.

Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said: “As Conservatives, we believe that work brings a sense of purpose, identity and belonging, and that everyone should have the right to contribute and fulfil their potential.

“So we are taking bold action to help more people into work and make the welfare system fairer for the taxpayers who pay for it.

“That’s the difference between us and Labour – we’ll take bold action to get more people into work and grow the economy, Labour don’t have the courage or conviction to have a plan for the British people.”

Other measures in the Tory manifesto will include a “Backing Drivers Bill” to prevent more charges being imposed on motorists. It will also include a pledge to increase the threshold at which families pay the Child Benefit Tax Charge from £60,000 to £120,000, effectively cutting taxes for 700,000 families.

Mr Sunak will pledge a new veterans’ Bill, offering extended tax breaks for veterans’ employers and cheaper railcards, and a new annual cap on visas to get immigration down.

A "triple lock plus" tax guarantee will ensure that the income tax allowance for pensioners is always higher than the state pension, and compulsory national service, involving either 12 months in the armed forces or volunteer work, will be introduced.