Tighten up how the benefits system assesses capability for work.
People are now three times more likely to be assessed as not fit for any work and put on the highest tier of sickness benefits than they were a decade ago.
The OBR has forecast that these reforms will reduce the number of people on these benefits by 424,000.
Overhaul the fit note process so that people are not being signed off sick as a default.
Currently, 94% of fit notes are being signed off as ‘not fit for work’.
and we will test integrating this with the new WorkWell service to provide tailored support to help people stay in or get back to work.
Second, to make sure that being on benefits remains a safety net, not a lifestyle choice, we will:
Introduce tougher sanctions rules so people who refuse to take up suitable jobs after 12 months on benefits can have their cases closed and their benefits removed entirely.
We will bring forward the new claimant review point for the long-term unemployed from 18 months to 12 months.
At the claimant review, Work Coaches will set renewed conditions for claimants.
If they fail to accept or comply with those conditions, such as refusing a suitable job or a mandatory work placement, their claim will be closed and their benefits will stop.
Accelerate the rollout of Universal Credit to ensure it always pays to work.
Continue to clamp down on fraudsters.
Since 2019 we have delivered cumulative scored savings of £7.7 billion through measures we have taken to tackle fraud in the welfare system.
Despite this, the level of welfare fraud remains far too high, having more than doubled during the pandemic.
To deliver further savings, we will maintain our zero-tolerance approach to fraud.
We hugely value the work that unpaid carers do supporting their loved ones.
We have increased Carer’s Allowance by almost £1,500 since 2010
and given employees who are also unpaid carers entitlement to a period of unpaid leave.
We will continue to stand behind our carers.
The vast majority of parents work incredibly hard to give their children the best start in life, but sadly a small number shirk their responsibilities.
We’ll also look at how the Service can better support victims of domestic or economic abuse, building on recommendations from Dr Samantha Callan’s 2023 Independent Review.
>>Education is the closest thing we have to a silver bullet, which is why since 2010 we have focused on driving up standards in education.
English children are now the best readers in the Western world and are 11th in the world for maths, up from 27th when Labour left office in 2010.
Children in England now far outperform their peers in Labour-run Wales and SNP-run Scotland.
We will build on this success to make sure every child gets a worldclass education and reaches their full potential.
Today, 90% of schools are Good or Outstanding, up from 68% in 2010.
School funding is at its highest ever level in real terms per pupil
and there are record numbers of teachers, 27,000 more than 2010.
The pupil premium, introduced by the Conservatives in 2011, will allocate almost £3 billion next year to support disadvantaged children to reach their full potential.
Free school meals have been extended to more groups of children than under any other government over the past half a century.
None of this progress has been possible without our great teachers.
We have hit our 2019 manifesto commitment to introduce starting salaries of £30,000
and are backing headteachers to manage behaviour and enforce discipline.
We will attract more talented teachers by expanding our recruitment and retention premium and reducing workload.
We will extend the payments to eligible teachers in our further education colleges.
We will always support and celebrate our further education colleges.
We will champion excellence in our classrooms.
In primary schools, we will support teachers to use tried and tested techniques, including our world-leading phonics programme and our mastery approach to maths, enabling every child to master the basics before they start secondary school.
We will support children in their transition to secondary school and ensure they continue to receive a broad and enriched education during and after-school, including via our multi-million pound Music Hubs.
and work with sporting bodies to create more UK-wide school competitions like National Finals, to identify the best sporting talents.
We will end the artificial and damaging divide between academic and technical education which has persisted for far too long.
For children and young people to benefit from the bold reforms we have made to education, they must be in school.
The legacy of Covid has made this more difficult.
This builds on the progress we have already made, having updated Relationships, Sex and Health Education Guidance to introduce clear age-limits on what children can be taught
and guarantee the contested concept of gender identity is not taught to children.
We will expand strong academy trusts.
We will back Ofsted to provide clear judgements to parents on the quality and safety of schools.
and a further 15 new free schools for children with special educational needs.
We will reinvent National Service for this century to give young people valuable life skills and build a stronger national culture.