A new Labour MP has said that she will be voting for the government’s welfare bill as she believes it will help people get back into work.
Speaking on GB News, Rosie Wrighting said:
“We inherited a welfare system from the Conservatives which wasn’t working for anyone. It wasn’t supporting the people that need it most.

“I think it’s absolutely right that the government looks at welfare and where we can support people into work we do. And there’s a £1 billion package of supporting people into work, transforming job centres and those one-to-one consultations. And that’s what I want to see for my constituents.

“I want to see those who can work, working, and I want to see those who can’t, properly protected. And that’s what this bill is about, and that’s why I’m supporting the government.

“The clues in the name, we are absolutely a party of work and that’s why we’ve brought in the employment rights bill [and] increased the minimum wage so that people see work as a route out of poverty.

“But it is also right for those who can’t work because of certain illnesses and disabilities are protected by welfare, but we need to make sure that PIP is properly targeted to protect those who need it most.

“But the Conservatives left us with a system where one in eight young people are out of work, and I just I just I don’t think that’s okay. I don’t think it’s okay for my constituents and young people in Kettering and I don’t think it’s okay for the country.

“We need to be encouraging young people into work. Work is absolutely a chance to grow to confidence, to grow skills. My first job did that for me, and for those who can work, I want them to be supported in those opportunities.

“This is about reforming a system that isn’t working for working people and people in this country, there’s consensus in the party that the welfare system is broken, that it’s not supporting those who need it most, and we are not offering the proper support for people into work, who can work.

“This is about doing what is best for the country, for the most vulnerable and for our economy as well. We are not shying away from those difficult decisions, unlike Reform, who announced unfunded promises and whose some simply do not add up and would cause another Liz Truss.

“There are different views on different sides of what the welfare state should be in this country. But ultimately, what people want is good jobs as well, jobs that pay well, that offer training.

“But there are people who, for whatever disability or illness, will never be able to work. And there are some people taking the mickey and gaming the system and we should be more rigorous on weeding those people out.

“The Conservatives didn’t support people who can work into work, and that is a concern. We shouldn’t be the only major economy that hasn’t recovered since the pandemic yet.

“For those who are on PIP, they didn’t offer them the right to try work because of fear of losing their benefits and that’s what this reform is about, and that’s why I am supporting the government on these necessary changes to our welfare system.

“Those who have concerns about the bill are being given the space to raise those concerns. They’re being heard, but what I’m confident about is the vote on Tuesday is a vote on welfare that will benefit the country, will benefit those who need it most and benefit those who want to get into work and will be supporting the prime minister.”