Conservatorii britanici vor să interzică șomerilor să cumpere alcool și țigări cu banii din ajutoarele sociale

Kemi Badenoch, leader of the UK Conservatives, plans to reform social benefits, restricting spending on alcohol, tobacco, and gambling. Long-term unemployed individuals may see a one-third reduction in benefits, replaced by prepaid cards to limit spending. The proposed changes aim to save taxpayers approximately £540 million annually and affect around 1.2 million unemployment benefit recipients. Critics argue the plan is impractical and fails to address deeper issues in the welfare system. Badenoch emphasizes that social assistance should support those in genuine need, not serve as a lifestyle choice for the unwilling to work.