Mrs Kemi Badenoch

Mrs Kemi Badenoch

Conservative — North West Essex

Speaking in the House of Commons on 1 July 2025

Debate

Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill

Contribution

We would cut unemployment. As I was saying, health and disability benefits are forecast to rise to £100 billion, meaning that one in every four pounds raised in income tax will pay for those benefits. That is not sustainable. Until the pandemic, we in the Conservative party had spent years bringing down the benefits bill and getting people back into work, including millions of disabled people. Talent, energy and ingenuity are not confined to those in perfect health. If we want to afford public services, improve people’s lives and compete globally, we cannot consign so many people to a life out of work—we have to get them into work. I believe that the whole House agrees that the system needs change. We may disagree on what exactly that change looks like, but what we have in front of us today is just a big mess.

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