Pat McFadden primes Labour members for major welfare reform in conference speech

Labour members are gathering in Liverpool this week for their annual party conferences. Alongside the debates and discussions, delegates in the hall have been hearing from government ministers on the direction of the government.

On the Sunday of the conference, the work and pensions secretary addressed the hall. He used his speech in part to prime party members that the government was set to instigate significant welfare reforms.

In his speech, McFadden described reforming the welfare system as a ‘moral crusade’ and that the system should be ‘focussed on responsibility’.

McFadden told the hall: “This status quo is not a system around which to circle the wagons.  It’s a system to change so that we can give a chance to life for the people it too often signs off and writes off.

“Now, let me tell you, for those who can never work – a life of security and dignity should always be there. That is the mark of a decent society. And with us it will always be there. But for those that can, a job is one of the best things that can happen to them. And that’s not just an economic policy. It’s a statement about what we believe and value.

“I know that growing up can be hard. And I know that parents out there are sometimes struggling. But we should never allow our understanding of that to slide into the low expectations that says the best we can offer you is a life on benefits.”

He would later go on to add: “There will be decisions to make and responsibilities to take: How we have a new system focussed on opportunity, how we move from asking what are you entitled to – to asking how do we change your life, and how we offer you not just an income but a future too.

“That’s what the welfare state must do in this century. And it falls to us, the party which did so much to create it, the party that holds it dear, to embrace the change needed. And when we do it is not because this is some tough decision forced on us by necessity. It is because it is the right decision driven by our beliefs and values.

“Because it is the moral crusade of our times. And because on it depends the future of so many people in our country.”

Keir Starmer’s government was significantly harmed by botched attempts to make significant changes to the welfare system. His proposed cuts to disability benefits were eventually dropped after substantial resistance from his party’s own MPs.

Chris Jarvis is head of strategy and development at Left Foot Forard