Kemi Badenoch proposes 36 billion pound Conservative welfare cuts

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has launched a policy document titled Welfare That Works, which outlines plans to cut the United Kingdom welfare bill by 36 billion pounds, the Guardian reported on Tuesday. During the policy launch, Badenoch defended proposed cuts to disability benefits, remarking that double amputees run marathons. [1]

The Labour Party criticized the announcement in an overnight statement, according to the Guardian. A Labour spokesperson stated that the Conservatives let the welfare bill rise during their time in government and asserted that the public cannot trust them to fix problems they created. [1]

Polling data published by the Daily Mail shows political shifts on the right. A YouGov survey found that 22 percent of Reform UK supporters believe Badenoch would make a better Prime Minister than party leader Nigel Farage, while 14 percent of Conservatives preferred Farage for the role. [2]

Badenoch has served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Conservative Party since 2024. She held Cabinet posts under former prime ministers Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak from 2022 to 2024 and has served as a Member of Parliament since 2017. [4]

The proposals follow ongoing political debates regarding government spending. As FTMQ News reported earlier, UK Chancellor John Healey previously pledged to reduce the national benefits bill before the next general election, following forecasts that national welfare spending would rise by 19 billion pounds. [8]