DWP crackdown will 'deepen stigma' and add to 'harmful narrative'

A Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) crackdown from the new Labour Party government has been branded "damaging" and will increase stigma. The DWP and Labour Party are set to clampdown on people who "game" the benefits system.

Shelley Hopkinson, head of policy and influencing at Turn2us, says: “This rhetoric deepens stigma and undermines efforts to rebuild trust in our social security system. Any meaningful plan to tackle poverty and support people into work must move away from this harmful narrative so that people can access the support they need without fear or shame.”

Ayla Ozmen, director of policy and campaigns at anti-poverty charity Z2K, said: “In our experience, young people are already regularly, and often unfairly, sanctioned by the DWP.” “Too often, job coaches fail to acknowledge the impact of health conditions, follow complex needs procedures and apply reasonable adjustments. One of our current clients who requested telephone appointments due to a disability was sanctioned when she failed to turn up for her face-to-face appointment,” Ozmen said.

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“Instead of adding to the stigma for young people and further damaging trust, the government must focus on urgently fixing the very clear problems of insecurity and inadequacy in our social security system.” It comes after Sir Keir Starmer and Liz Kendall did the media rounds on Sunday - when they hinted at the impending crackdown.

The prime minister wrote in an article for the Mail on Sunday: “Make no mistake, we will get to grips with the bulging benefits bill blighting our society. Don’t get me wrong – we will crack down hard on anyone who tries to game the system, to tackle fraud so we can take cash straight from the banks of fraudsters. There will be a zero-tolerance approach to these criminals.”

The newspaper said Starmer was “declaring war on the benefits system”.