Overview

• In a July 10 speech, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch outlined plans to reduce the welfare bill by restricting state support to those with the most severe health conditions.
• She argued that ailments like food intolerances, anxiety and mild depression should be excluded from disability benefits to preserve the term’s meaning and curb dependency.
• Under her proposals, foreign nationals would have to contribute to the welfare system and secure citizenship before claiming sickness benefits.
• Citing Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts that health and disability spending could reach £70–100 billion by 2030, she warned that unchecked uptake might add an extra £12 billion to the bill.
• She referenced Centre for Social Justice analysis showing some claimants could receive around £25,000 in welfare—surpassing full-time minimum-wage earnings—and urged a cultural shift toward work and personal responsibility.