The claim is that "the Conservatives introduced the system being discussed." From the full speech context, the "system" being discussed is the UK welfare system, with Starmer specifically referencing Universal Credit ("Welfare reform is balancing universal credit so that it no longer pushes people away from work") and the broader benefits/employment support framework for unemployed young people. **Key findings:** 1. **Universal Credit** was introduced by the Conservative-led coalition government. The policy was announced by Conservative Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith in October 2010, published as a White Paper ("Universal Credit: welfare that works") in November 2010, and enacted through the **Welfare Reform Act 2012** under the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition government. Universal Credit replaced six legacy benefits and is the core of the current welfare system. 2. The **Work Programme** (the previous employment support scheme for the long-term unemployed, including young people) was also introduced by the coalition government in June 2011. 3. The broader welfare state itself has roots going back to the post-WWII Labour government (Beveridge Report, National Assistance Act 1948), and many specific benefits were introduced by various governments over decades. So the "welfare system" as a whole was not solely introduced by the Conservatives. 4. However, the specific "system" Starmer is describing as "broken" and that he is "reforming" is clearly the current configuration centered on Universal Credit, which was indeed introduced by the Conservatives (in coalition with the Liberal Democrats). Starmer explicitly references Universal Credit in the same speech. **Assessment:** The claim is broadly accurate. The Conservatives (as the senior party in the 2010–2015 coalition government) introduced Universal Credit, which is the central component of the welfare system Starmer describes as broken and is now reforming. There is a minor qualification: it was technically a Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition that passed the Welfare Reform Act 2012, not the Conservatives alone. However, the Conservatives were the driving force behind the policy, and it is standard political practice to attribute coalition government actions to the senior governing party. This qualification is minor and does not materially affect the truth of the claim. Sources: - GOV.UK, "Universal Credit introduced" (5 October 2010): https://www.gov.uk/government/news/universal-credit-introduced - GOV.UK, "Universal Credit: welfare that works" (White Paper, November 2010): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-welfare-that-works - legislation.gov.uk, Welfare Reform Act 2012: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/5/introduction - UK Parliament, Welfare Reform Act 2012 Bill page: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/671 - GOV.UK, "Major employment drive to help unlock 200,000 new jobs and apprenticeships for next generation" (16 March 2026): https://www.gov.uk/government/news/major-employment-drive-to-help-unlock-200000-new-jobs-and-apprenticeships-for-next-generation - BBC News, "Badenoch accuses Starmer of 'giving up' on welfare reform": https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgep3r9yg34o - Westminster Brief, "Engagements — 3 June 2026": https://westminsterbrief.co.uk/archive/debate/3-june-2026/engagements-7cc0