A SENIOR Tory MP clashed with a radio presenter over his party’s plans to bring in ration cards for people on benefits.
Under new plans announced by the Conservatives, people on benefits with criminal convictions would be issued with cards to prevent them from buying alcohol or cigarettes.
Speaking on LBC, Tory shadow home secretary Chris Philp defended the policy said people “don’t have a right to receive money from other taxpayers and then spend it with no restrictions”.
Presenter Lewis Goodall asked whether Philp accepted the proposals would be “humiliating” for those affected.
Philp replied: “No, no I don’t because these are benefits that are funded. We’re talking about the criminal cohort here, people are convicted of criminal offences and we’re talking about benefits that are funded.”
Earlier, Goodall questioned how the proposed scheme would work, given that many people on Universal Credit are also in work.
He said: “Lots of people as you know on Universal Credit are in work thanks to governments like yours which have left us with a low-pay country.”
Some 400,000 people receiving the benefit are in work or 17.4% of total recipients, according to the latest UK Government statistics.
Philp said: “If somebody wants to earn money themselves, they can spend it on whatever they like, but when it comes to component of people’s income that is funded by other taxpayers, then I think it’s reasonable to impose the restriction particularly on people with criminal convictions like we’ve been discussing.
“There’s no right, people don’t, particularly criminals, don’t have a right to receive money from other taxpayers and then spend it with no restrictions.”
Goodall replied: “You’re talking about people who’ve maybe had a community or suspended sentence.
‘Don’t you think that’s rather humiliating towards people?’@Lewis_Goodall challenges Chris Philp on the Tories’ proposal to put former criminals on ration cards, rather than benefits. pic.twitter.com/b9vC75mnHo
— LBC (@LBC) May 31, 2026
“You’re potentially talking about very minor infractions and your government would come along and say, ‘Even if you’re in work that our benefits – that, by the way, they will have paid into the tax system like everybody else – you’re going to have a ration card, which means that you can only spend on certain things.
“Don’t you think that’s rather humiliating towards people?”
Speaking on GB News on Sunday, Philp set out the vision for the policy.
He said: “This particular announcement today relates to criminals, criminals with community sentences or suspended sentences, or for the year or period on license after leaving prison, and for a year thereafter.
“We think it is immoral. We think it's wrong that those criminals who receive benefits funded by hardworking taxpayers can then spend that on gambling or on alcohol or on cigarettes. So rather than give those people cash, which essentially is what happens at the moment, they would instead get a payment card.
“That payment card would not be able to be used to withdraw cash from an ATM, transfer money to other people, or be used for buying alcohol or for gambling, for example.”
