Claiming benefits is a ‘lifestyle choice’ for some, says Keir Starmer

> The phrase “lifestyle choice” was used prominently by Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, and was deployed by Conservative shadow chancellor Mel Stride and ex-chancellor Jeremy Hunt during last year’s general election

Great company to keep

I know it’s not popular to say but it’s kind of true. I have a friend who has been on benefits since I’ve known him (20 years). He knows how to play the system and has done all that time. He lives in a better place than I do (I work full time driving a bus), seems to have more money than I do on a day to day basis. He’s always telling me that he shouldn’t be allowed to but since he is, he does.

So is not taxing those with the most money, wonder which costs the state more money.

He’s right, but there’s an entire political establishment bureaucracy, including him, that has spent a lifetime doing it as well

Labour’s Tory cosplay is a nice distraction from their lack of long term vision and success on the “growth” mission. 

It always has been but the methods of cracking down on this effect people that claim legitimately too much and compared to the amount lost to tax evasion and some of the dodgier avoidance schemes it’s a drop in the ocean.

It’s a view that makes me squirm because I still think that rich people hoarding money is the bigger issue, however we have to be honest and acknowledge that some people are playing the system.

I know someone who is pretending to be disabled and knows exactly how to play the system. In fact there’s so much wrong with her it’s a miracle she’s still alive. Then her partner who used to work suddenly became disabled too after they moved in together. Bad back etc.

It frustrates me when I see people say that anyone calling out that sort of behaviour must be ableist. No. Some people are arseholes who do what they can to get out of working. Calling out their shit isn’t going against actual disabled people, it’s stopping them from taking away money and resources from those who actually need it.

I know another couple too who are very annoyed that job seekers made them pick up some part time jobs. They wanted to spend their time not working looking for jobs they actually wanted. But why should our tax money fund them while they do so?

Trying to out right wing the Reform threat when he should just be fixing the austerity damage.

Raise income tax on the top bracket, raise corporation tax, crack down on tax evasion and then put some money into the country. Build some council houses and recruit some medical staff so that you can stop wasting money on agencies.

People would stop complaining about migrants if they saw things getting better.

Fabulous we’re back to blaming disabled and vulnerable people, who’d have guessed this would happen

What about doing some work in exchange for your benefits. I know many people who are n the estate and smoking whatever and bitching about their nosey neighbors. They’ve no intention of getting a shit minimum wage job and why should they? In the other end the elites are bleeding us all dry.

He’s right. Literally know people that do it. Anyone who disagrees has their head in the sand.

I’m a Labour voter and he’s spot on. I don’t think over ever seen a single illegal immigrant, but what I do see on a daily basis is the socioeconomic cancer that is dole dossers and their 5 kids. Never had a job, never have any intention of having one. I’d love a “one in, one out” policy where we take in a grateful net contributor from a war torn country and boot out a useless sponge 🧽

I have family members involved, and they are very open about it. Aunt has never worked, claiming for various mental health issues. Has a house and so does her partner (both live together), they alternate between which one they stay at. Her son has had around 5 children or so with his girlfriend who claims benefits for depression, and he manages to not work as her ‘carer’. Although he also does actually work as a joiner which of course he doesn’t declare.

My aunt and her friends visit several food banks around the local area. My mother visits my aunt every so often and they even asked her to go in after them to get more. Obviously she refused.

Before anyone suggests their conditions could be real – I know these people. They very openly put *significant* effort and planning into the assessments and interviews.

It might not be as prevalent as some try to suggest, but it’s absolutely happening and doesn’t seem all that difficult to do. *These* are the people Starmer is talking about. Not wheelchair-bound Dave who maybe *could* do a WFH job if he received the correct training and support.

No, he means the other sort who have had hundreds of thousands thrown at them over the years, who are *still* taking everything they can even from the food banks.

It’s not helpful to pretend they don’t exist. All we’re doing is making it harder for our real claimants to get the support and respect they need.

What we really need to know is how many are doing this? What is the cost?

But I can’t see any possible way of actually knowing. I truly hope the number is small.

Thing is he’s not wrong, I love on a council estate and see people who claim benefits but could easily work as you see them around the estate doing cash in hand work

Fuck me – is this all we’re gonna get for the rest of our lives.

Yes people in the comments – we know ‘this is kinda true’

It’s more than kinda true – it is true.

But it isn’t nearly the biggest problems we have, billionaires are gutting the economy by not paying back into it

This is just pure distraction tactics – every party does it every time

Love how the poor always get the blame and take the fall. Do some people claim benefits falsely, absolutely. But the reality is that the actual impact it has is almost non existent, and for the vast majority they claim it because they actually need it and for good reason.

Yet we get to watch career politicians steal money at every opportunity from this country, corrupt businesses stealing from us, endless fraud and corruption, inside deals and trading. Money laundering and other crimes which absolutely rinse us of billions and billions. But no, let’s blame the poor and benefits.

Also, how do you expect people to work when there’s not even enough jobs for the people out of work, yet you keep importing more people making that issue worse. Maybe if businesses didn’t get away with fake job listings leading to endless months of fruitless searching. Maybe if companies stopped laying everyone off and trying to work on Skelton crews to maximise returns for their shareholders, maybe if we actually invested money into industry and education and construction and things that might produce more jobs whilst also cutting back on mass immigration… Maybe We’d actually see some potential for growth.