Claim 172aa050Checked 21 Jul 2026
TrueOn the truth scale
“The Conservatives introduced a system that is broken.”
Interpreted asmetaphor
“The Conservatives introduced a system that does not function properly.”
—Keir StarmerLabourThe Prime Minister·Engagements·03 Jun 2026Factual · historical current chronological
Reasoning & Evidence21 Jul 2026
The claim "The Conservatives introduced a system that does not function properly" refers to the UK welfare system, specifically Universal Credit and related reforms. Both elements of the claim are well-supported by evidence:
**Conservatives introduced it:** Universal Credit was announced in October 2010 by Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, with the Welfare Reform Bill introduced in 2011. The Conservatives governed from 2010 to 2024, during which they implemented major welfare reforms including Universal Credit, the replacement of DLA with PIP, and devolution of Council Tax Benefit. By 2024-25, 67% of non-pensioner social security spending went on benefits that didn't exist in 2010.
**It does not function properly:** Multiple independent and authoritative sources document significant systemic dysfunction:
- The IFS (2026) identified numerous problems: the five-week wait creating hardship, "cliff edges" undermining work incentives, indefinitely frozen elements eroding real value, and the benefit cap being a "crude mechanism."
- The Resolution Foundation (June 2024) found Conservative welfare reforms had "broken the link between entitlement and need for some of the poorest households," citing "rising destitution, record homelessness and child poverty" as evidence that "the current safety net is inadequate."
- The BBC reported on UC's design problems including the five-week wait, benefit freezes, and the huge rise in food bank usage.
- The Labour government (via gov.uk) describes the inherited system as having "perverse incentives" that "wrote people off instead of backing them."
- Even Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch herself described the welfare system as "broken" and needing reform.
While the system technically pays benefits to 6.3 million families, the documented problems — perverse incentives, hardship from the five-week wait, rising dependency on health-related benefits, cliff edges, and inadequate support levels — are severe and widely acknowledged across independent think tanks, official government assessments, and even the Conservative Party's own current leader.
**Sources:**
- GOV.UK, "Universal Credit introduced" (5 October 2010): https://www.gov.uk/government/news/universal-credit-introduced
- IFS, "Universal credit review: challenges and options for reform" (2026): https://ifs.org.uk/sites/default/files/2026-03/IFS%20Report%20-%20Universal%20credit%20review%20challenges%20and%20options%20for%20reform_1.pdf
- Resolution Foundation, "Ratchets, retrenchment and reform" (June 2024): https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/app/uploads/2024/06/Ratchets-retrenchment-and-reform.pdf
- BBC News, "Universal credit: Why it may not be fit for the future": https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3r3w0w1gepo
- BBC News, "Badenoch accuses Starmer of 'giving up' on welfare reform": https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgep3r9yg34o
- GOV.UK, "Government reforms welfare system to support people into work": https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-reforms-welfare-system-to-support-people-into-work
- The Guardian, "Tory welfare reform cost working-age families thousands" (June 2024): https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jun/13/tory-welfare-reform-cost-working-age-families-thousands-while-pensioners-benefited-report
From speech
They introduced a system that is broken, they put the bill through the roof, and now they want to give us advice on welfare—no thanks! The question should always be not what benefits people are entitled to, but what help we can give people to change their lives. That is what the Work and Pensions Secretary was arguing, and he is right about that. It is a Labour Government that are helping people into work. Leader of the Opposition asks what we have done: more rights for renters, stopping unfair rent hikes, and giving 11 million people greater security and a place to call home; and more rights for workers, including bereavement leave on day one—ask anyone who has lost someone, and they will say just how important it is to have bereavement leave. We have lifted half a million children out of poverty. We often say in this House that every child should go as far as their talent or ability will take them. That does not happen if they are growing up in poverty. The Conservatives have fought us at every turn. I am proud of what we are delivering. There is much more to do.
Sources opened
| [1] | bbc.com |
| [2] | theguardian.com |
| [3] | bbc.com |
| [4] | independent.co.uk |
| [5] | conservativehome.com |
| [6] | ifs.org.uk |
| [7] | gov.uk |
| [8] | bbc.com |
| [9] | gov.uk |
| [10] | the-independent.com |
| [11] | gov.uk |
| [12] | gov.uk |
| [13] | gov.uk |
| [14] | assets.publishing.service.gov.uk |
| [15] | gov.uk |
| [16] | resolutionfoundation.org |
| [17] | resolutionfoundation.org |
| [18] | obr.uk |
| [19] | commonslibrary.parliament.uk |
| [20] | ifs.org.uk |