Kimberley Harmer: How to rebuild Britain’s welfare state with responsibility and compassion | Conservative Home

Kimberley Harmer is a Conservative activist and community Ambassador. She is a senior caseworker for Charlie Dewhirst MP and chairs a youth charity. 

Britain’s welfare state was built on a simple principle: when life breaks you, society should be there to catch you. I know this personally. Years ago, when my health failed, ESA gave me the support I needed to survive. Today, I work full-time despite my disability, and I am fully engaged in my community. Welfare – when done right – is not about dependency; it is about creating the conditions that allow people to thrive.

Yet, too often, public debate forgets this nuance. The system is simultaneously failing those who genuinely need help and rewarding those who choose not to work. Meanwhile, hardworking taxpayers see their contributions funding a system that sometimes seems unfair, creating resentment and eroding trust. With the Office for Budget Responsibility warning of a £20 billion black hole due to slowing growth and rising borrowing costs, reform is urgent. Britain cannot afford to leave the welfare state as it is.

The current welfare system is complex, expensive, and often ineffective. Annual spending on benefits has reached £255 billion – nearly a quarter of government expenditure – yet it fails to deliver fair outcomes consistently. Problems include generational worklessness, where some communities have three or four generations who have never held steady employment; low-paid jobs left unfilled because workers feel undervalued; and childcare costs that exceed potential earnings for many parents. Meanwhile, disabled people and those with chronic illnesses often face complex assessments and delays in accessing essential support. The result is a system that is expensive, inequitable, and demoralising for everyone, from the claimant to the taxpayer.

To fix welfare, we must understand the competing philosophies that shape it: social democracy advocates expansive state provision to reduce inequality; social liberalism emphasises removing barriers to opportunity while maintaining individual freedom; libertarianism pushes minimal state involvement; and conservatism balances compassion with responsibility, protecting the vulnerable while encouraging work, family stability, and community cohesion.

Britain’s current system, influenced by all these philosophies, satisfies no one. It is too generous to some, yet too punishing for those genuinely in need. It is time for a coherent, principled approach rooted in pragmatic conservatism: welfare as a hand up, not a handout.

Behind the statistics are real people whose lives are affected daily.

For those who cannot work due to disability or chronic illness, benefits like ESA are essential. They allow individuals to live independently, access necessary care, and remain in employment where possible. Any reform must protect these citizens, ensuring support is timely, fair, and dignified.

Expensive childcare is a barrier to work for many families, particularly mothers. Policies that expand affordable care, coupled with flexible working options, can increase employment and reduce welfare dependency. However, we must also be mindful of early childhood development, ensuring children under nine months are not spending excessive time in institutional care, which can affect attachment and long-term outcomes.

Some communities are trapped in cycles of dependency. Children raised without seeing regular work struggle to understand its value. Combined with cultural influences that glorify wealth without effort, this contributes to long-term disengagement from the labour market. Breaking these cycles requires early intervention, education, skills training, and mentorship programs.

Millions of hardworking citizens watch their taxes fund a system that appears unfair. Many feel their efforts are undervalued while others receive support without contributing to society. Restoring faith in welfare requires fairness, transparency, and a focus on enabling work.

Immigration is crucial for Britain’s economy. Many sectors, from healthcare and construction to hospitality, rely on workers from abroad. Yet access to welfare must be carefully controlled to protect both taxpayers and genuinely vulnerable individuals. Those fleeing persecution, war, or extreme hardship deserve humane support, safety, and access to essential services – the UK has a moral duty to provide this. Economic migrants who come to work, pay taxes, and contribute to the economy should be welcomed, but access to benefits should be linked to contribution, ensuring the system supports integration and productivity.

At the same time, the UK cannot allow its welfare system to be exploited. Some illegal entrants see welfare as a ‘golden pay cheque,’ and those who access it without legal right should be repatriated swiftly and efficiently. Similarly, a concerning number of British citizens treat benefits as a way of life rather than a temporary safety net. Generational dependency must be addressed through skills training, work incentives, and early interventions, ensuring welfare remains a support to help people back on their feet, not a permanent lifestyle.

Balanced policy can combine compassion for the genuinely vulnerable with firm measures to prevent abuse. This approach is not about cruelty; it is about fairness, sustainability, and restoring public confidence in a system that works for everyone.

The pandemic reshaped the labour market. Many left low-paid, high-stress roles during lockdowns, creating shortages in hospitality, care, and retail. Long COVID and mental health impacts have further reduced workforce participation. Welfare reform must align with health policy, offering support and retraining opportunities to help affected individuals return to work where possible.

A practical, compassionate approach could include streamlining welfare delivery to reduce bureaucracy, targeted support for the vulnerable, reforms that make work pay, investment in skills and apprenticeships, flexible childcare policies, integration of health and employment support, and clear, fair immigration rules that balance compassion with accountability.

These reforms are not about cutting support for those in genuine need. They are about making work pay, protecting the vulnerable, and creating a welfare system that is fair, efficient, and sustainable.

Welfare is at a tipping point.

Without reform, spiralling costs, generational dependency, and workforce shortages will threaten the economy and social cohesion. Reform is not about cruelty. It is about fairness, dignity, and opportunity.

I have lived the system; I know its power to protect, and I know its flaws. Britain deserves a welfare state that works for everyone, one that provides a hand up, not a handout. With courage, clarity, and compassion, we can build a system that protects the vulnerable, empowers the willing, and restores trust in government. The time to act is now.

We need ‘Stronger Measures’ for accountability. While compassion must guide reform, Britain cannot tolerate a system that encourages dependency. Individuals who are capable of work but choose not to engage must face clear consequences, including stricter work requirements, tailored skills programs, and temporary benefit reductions if they refuse employment opportunities.

Illegal entrants accessing welfare without legal right should be swiftly repatriated, while economic migrants should contribute before accessing state support. By pairing support with accountability, we can restore fairness, incentivise effort, and ensure that welfare remains a safety net, not a substitute for work.