Tories set out three-strikes welfare rules

The Conservatives have set out plans to stop benefits for three years for those who turn down three job offers.

Shadow work and pensions secretary Chris Grayling told the Tory conference in Birmingham on Tuesday that the state should "help people who are helping themselves".

"I want to put an end to the situation where welfare is an entitlement," he said.

"Instead I want our welfare state to become a two-way contract.

"Our job is to help people when they are down - their job is to do everything they can to get themselves and their families back on their feet again.

"That principle will underlie our whole approach to welfare and the benefit system in Britain today."

The Conservatives want to use private firms and charities to provide support to job seekers, which they believe are more effective than traditional state-run jobcentres.

And Grayling argued that in exchange for this extra help, the penalties for those who refuse help should also increase.

"Everyone who could work will be expected to take up the offer of support," he said.

"They will be expected to get out of the house and to do something every day.

"If they won't, then they will automatically lose their benefits until they do.

"We'll introduce mandatory independent medical assessments for people claiming incapacity benefit to see who can and cannot work.

"Anyone claiming the benefit on a false premise will lose it immediately.

"We'll equip those with the potential to return to work with specialist support to do so.

"But if they refuse that support, they will also lose their benefits."

He added that community work would also be available to the long-term unemployed in order to keep their skills and motivation levels up.

"It's much better to be in a job and looking to move on to something else, than sitting at home hoping the right thing will come along," he said.

"If people refuse reasonable job offers they'll lose their benefits and if they refuse an offer three times, then they'll be excluded from the benefits system for three years.

"And for those who don't manage to find work and claim jobseekers allowance for more than two years, we'll introduce a year-long community work programme to get them back into the work habit.

"No one benefits from sitting at home on benefits doing nothing."

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