Labour DWP and Jobcentres reforms 'risk making things worse'

It will take Labour time to rebuild trust in the Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ), Jobcentres and the benefits system, experts have said. Meagan Levin, policy and public affairs manager at Turn2us, has reacted to the Labour Party government's 'Get Britain Working' white paper.

"While the white paper stresses there will be no targets for sanctions, their use still creates fear, harms mental health, and undermines trust in the system. Sanctions often push people deeper into financial insecurity, leaving them unable to afford basics like food or energy," she told the Big Issue.

Iain Porter told the Guardian: "Labour’s ‘Get Britain Working’ strategy risks making things worse." He said: "Speaking about the paper, Keir Starmer said it was time to end the culture of “blaming and shaming” people who haven’t been getting the support they need.

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"Then, in the same breath, he pledged to “slash” the country’s “spiralling” benefits bill as part of his government’s efforts to get more people into work. This harmful rhetoric threatens to sabotage the government’s attempts to reset its relationship with people who are sick or disabled.

"While the white paper signalled the government’s ambitions, the cuts to benefits it has pencilled in for next year undermine them." Porter is a senior policy adviser at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, and added: "The government doesn’t seem to understand that Britain’s eroded social safety net is becoming an obstacle to those finding work.

"So long as benefits remain paltry, people will continue to struggle – and this will impede their ability to get back into work. Without an adequate safety net, a setback such as losing your job can be hard to overcome." Ms Levin said: "A truly supportive social security system can help people and the economy thrive, ensuring no one is left behind in times of need."