Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, accusing both of promoting “fantasy economics” in their approaches to welfare reform. Writing in The Daily Mail, Badenoch criticises the leaders for their stance on welfare, particularly in relation to the two-child benefit cap.
Badenoch argues that both Starmer and Farage are advocating for taxpayers, including those struggling to support their own families, to fund unlimited child support for others. Her comments come in the wake of Labour’s consideration of abolishing the controversial cap on two-child benefits, a policy that has been a cornerstone of Conservative welfare reform.
In her article, Badenoch asserts: “This week we have seen Labour and Reform in a race to the bottom to scrap the two-child benefit cap. Starmer and Farage now believe in getting taxpayers—many of whom are struggling to raise their own children or choosing not to have them in the first place—to fund unlimited child support for others.”
While Farage has pledged to abolish the cap if Reform UK comes to power, he has yet to explain how his party would finance the removal of this policy and other costly pledges. Farage has argued that lifting the cap would ease the financial burden on lower-paid workers, stating that his party does not support a “benefits culture” but sees the policy as an essential reform.
Badenoch, however, contends that the UK cannot afford what she deems to be “fantasy economics” and believes that the country deserves leadership that takes a responsible and realistic approach to economic policy. “Britain deserves leaders who do not treat economics like a branch of showbiz,” she writes, highlighting the importance of sound fiscal policy.
The two-child benefit cap was introduced by the Conservative government in 2017 as a means to control rising welfare costs. Under the policy, families are only eligible to receive child benefits for the first two children, with some exceptions for specific circumstances.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has confirmed that the government is reviewing the two-child benefit cap, but has warned that any changes would be costly. Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has refrained from commenting directly on whether the policy will be abolished, despite mounting pressure from Labour backbenchers following the party’s disappointing local election results earlier this year.
Badenoch’s comments come in response to a statement by Farage, who this week described the Conservative Party as an “irrelevance” and suggested that the party had lost its way. Sir Keir Starmer has similarly criticised the Conservative government, accusing them of being “in decline” and “sliding into the abyss.”
In response, Badenoch contends that the Conservative Party is still the only major political force in the UK to take a serious approach to reforming the welfare state. “We are the only ones prepared to face the reality of our public finances and to act accordingly,” she declares.
As the debate over the two-child benefit cap intensifies, it remains to be seen whether Labour will proceed with scrapping the policy, or whether the Conservatives will maintain their stance on welfare reform. For now, Badenoch’s criticisms reflect the growing tensions between the main political parties as they prepare for the next general election.