Tories pledge to cut rising welfare bills with NHS cash boost and disability benefits reform

8 June 2024, 22:31 | Updated: 8 June 2024, 22:35

Rishi Sunak has pledged a major shake-up of the welfare state as the Tories promise to bring down Britain's benefits bill.

The latest policy commitment from the Tories aims to save some £12 billion a year by the end of the next parliament.

The party says it will achieve this by ensuring more working age people currently claiming benefits have a job.

The Conservatives want to bring down the number of working age people out of work - which has spiked since the Covid pandemic.

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Experts believe that this rise was in part driven by those who have taken early retirement and people suffering from long-term health issues who are waiting for treatment on the NHS.

But the Conservative Party said the 40% increase in economically inactive people from two million to 2.8 million overall since the pandemic is unsustainable.

They have promised to bring this total down, claiming the cost of providing benefits for working age people with health conditions could rise as high as £90 billion by the end of the next parliament.

Among the steps the party would take to do this are several where the early stages have been floated by the Tories in government.

This includes a £700 million investment in NHS mental health treatment, to ensure 500,000 more people can access talking therapies to help with poor mental health.

A pledge to reform the disability benefits system and target it at those most in need is also part of the offer, as is a tightening of the criteria for work capability assessments.

Previously announced plans to pass on the responsibility for issuing sick notes from GPs to specialist work and health professionals are within the Tories' plans.

The Conservatives also promise to toughen benefit sanction rules, speed up the rollout of universal credit, and clamp down on benefit fraudsters.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak 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."

Labour criticised the "reheated pledges" from the Tories.

A spokesperson for Sir Keir Starmer's party said: "This is the latest desperate announcement from Rishi Sunak, who has once again plucked numbers out of thin air in an attempt to disguise the fact that he has caused a spiralling benefits bill.

"These reheated pledges, old policies and vague promises will not get Britain healthy or benefits under control, and do nothing to solve the fact that £10 billion of taxpayers' money was lost to benefit fraud just last year.

"Labour has a plan to cut NHS waiting lists, get Britain back to work, make work pay and get the benefits bill down."