Last night labour claimed that the amount spent on benefit fraud and error could’ve 'funded an extra £300 cost-of-living payment'- after it was uncovered that in 2021-22 the DWP overpaid £8.5 billion in benefits across the board.
I was angry beyond all belief when I read this, because once again instead of focussing on how corrupt the DWP and the Tories are, Labour is throwing those most vulnerable under the bus.
There are two incorrect assumptions that need tackling here, the insinuation that benefit fraud is high and that the error is the fault of the claimants.
I’ve stated many times how low benefit fraud actually is and it’s something I’ll shout about until I’m blue in the face. However, in case you don’t know the stats here they are again.
Just 0.07% of disability benefit claims are investigated for fraud of those, 89% were overturned. In the financial year of 2021 just 3% of benefits repayments were from fraud.
In the same tax year, the government lost 35 billion to unpaid tax, over half of which is due to fraud. If 8 billion can pay for everyone on benefits to get an extra cost of living payment then surely 35 could’ve paid for four extra cost of living payments for us all.
However, you’re 23 times more likely to get charged for benefit fraud than tax fraud. No prizes for guessing why.
Of course, many people are on benefits. Families, those on low income, jobseekers, single parents - but when the words “benefit fraud” are used, many will blame those on disability-related benefits.
This is in no small part to coordinated attacks on disabled people that the Tories have orchestrated in the last decade and a half. They claim we’re faking and scrounging from good honest hard-working folk, whilst they make assessments inhumane and the application process inaccessible. We’re slapped with sanctions but it’s almost impossible to report a change in circumstances.
And then we come to the error portion - which despite also being hugely significant will be seen to disappear in the media, but this doesn’t surprise me when a massive part of the media still perpetuates the big bad benefit fraudster myth. Every week my community is battered with more stories calling us all fakers and blaming benefit fraud for the national debt.
“Error” makes it sound like again the claimant is at fault and that they weren’t entitled to the money. But it’s often through changes in circumstances that take far too long to report whilst being stuck on hold for hours - such as a partner moving in, kids getting older or working more hours than the DWP says you’re allowed to whilst claiming pittance.
I’ll talk about how disgusting it is that disabled people get penalised for wanting to live with their partners in another column, but it surmounts to us not having marriage equality.
There’s also the fact that many benefits incorrectly don’t stop when someone is again inhumanely deemed fit for work.
This narrative also doesn’t include that those found guilty of such “error” by the DWP aren’t forced to pay it all back, with the money coming out of their weekly or monthly allowance. For those on Universal Credit that’s £55.31 taken from their benefit each month and for those on the standard rate of PIP that's £33 A WEEK. So that 8.5 billion actually shrinks quite a bit.
Not only is this whole story demonising disabled people again, but it overlooks the fact that we’re already suffering and struggling to survive.
People on benefits ready report struggling to feed themselves but now they’re jeopardising their health and lives by having to cut back on prescriptions and limiting how much energy they can use for lifesaving equipment.
We’re also missing the fact that many of those who are suffering the worst from the cost of living crisis don’t even get the benefits that you need to qualify for the payments. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that 4 in 10 of the poorest households don’t claim Universal Credit. This could be for a variety of reasons but there’s no hiding the fact that many are deemed not disabled enough by unqualified assessors. It’s also worth reminding that those on PIP only received £150 when UC claimants got £900.
If they’re after some extra cash and need to point the finger here’s a few suggestions.
How about the £37 billion (and yes these are all billion with a B) lost to track and trace? Or the £3.9 billion uninvestigated furlough fraud. Or the £1 billion of unusable PPE that got destroyed. Still not enough? What about the £16.4 billion it cost us to leave the EU?
Oh, this needs to come from the DWP? Okay, what about the £700 million in 5-year contracts awarded to ATOS and Capita to carry out benefits assessments and the reported bonuses assessors receive?
What about the god only knows how much it cost to run internal investigations into safeguarding disability claimants and the deaths of those waiting or denied benefits that the DWP still just plain refuse to release?
Still short? How about the frankly absurd £8 million it’s costing the taxpayer to put a painting of King Charles in all public buildings all over the country? Push comes to shove I’m sure they’d make excellent firewood to keep us all warm.
Sure, we should be giving those who need it the most extra to survive the cost of living crisis, but it shouldn’t be to the detriment of other people who are also struggling.
Disabled people already have a deep distrust in politics and the media. We don’t need to be demonised further when we’re barely surviving as it is.
If Labour truly want to win the next election, they need to work harder to prove that they will improve the lives of disabled people, because we are not to be underestimated.
If they keep on with this narrative of benefit fraud whilst upping the ante about getting us all into work, they will lose disabled voters in the next election.
