Tories would ban long-term benefit claimants from buying alcohol and cigarettes

Long-term unemployed people could be barred from using welfare payments to buy alcohol, cigarettes or gamble under plans being launched by the Conservatives.

Tories would ban long-term benefit claimants from buying alcohol and cigarettes

The proposals would also reduce Universal Credit payments for claimants who have not made consistent contributions to the welfare system through taxation.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said the current system was “unfair to workers”.

Under the plans, unemployed people claiming Universal Credit would receive the full rate of benefits for six months while they look for work.

After six months, the full payment would be restricted to claimants who had made sufficient contributions to the welfare system through taxes over a number of years.

Those who did not meet the threshold would see their standard Universal Credit payment cut by a third.

The reduced payment would be transferred to a “back to work” pre-payment card, which would prevent spending on cigarettes, alcohol, betting and cash withdrawals.

Mrs Badenoch said: “Some will say this is unfair on people claiming benefits. What is unfair is a system where someone who can work chooses not to and earns more from benefits than someone in a job.

“If you can work, you should work. Helping people into work is not punishment. The best welfare is a well-paid job. So, we will be tough on those who exploit the system because the current system is unfair to workers, taxpayers and those who truly need support. We should not be borrowing from our children and grandchildren to support people who simply refuse to work.

Long-term unemployed people could be barred from using welfare payments to buy alcohol, cigarettes or gamble under plans being launched by the Conservatives PA Wire “Welfare must be a safety net for those who genuinely need it, not a lifestyle choice for those who can’t be bothered.”

The reforms could save the taxpayer £538 million a year by moving 350,000 benefits claimants onto a new “subsistence allowance”, the Tories estimate.

The party sought to justify its plans by suggesting it was unfair for taxpayers to shoulder the costs of long-term jobless benefits claimants.

Helen Whately, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said: “We cannot go on like this – with millions of people living on benefits instead of in work. Britain can’t afford it. It’s not fair on taxpayers footing the bill. For people living on the breadline, work, not benefits, is the way out of poverty.