Reform UK pledge two-strike rule for jobseekers

Nigel Farage’s party have promised to fix the “broken” benefits system by enforcing a two-strike rule for job offers, if they’re elected in next month’s election.

The rule would require all jobseekers and those fit for work to find employment within four months or accept a job after two offers.

Jobseekers who don’t do this would have their benefits withdrawn, the party say.

Reform also want all benefits assessments to be face-to-face. On top of this, they would insist on regular independent medical assessments to prove eligibility, except for those registered with “severe disabilities” or serious long-term illness.

Eager to get people back to work, the party want to improve benefit support and training, focusing on 16-34 year olds. This will motivate up to 2 million people to return to work, they say.

“Employment is critical to improving mental health,” according to their manifesto.

As part of their plans to overhaul social care, Reform UK say they will review the pension system, to tackle the “complexity, huge cost, and poor returns”.

Inspired by countries like Australia, they want to find a ‘much better and cheaper’ way to run savings and pensions. The manifesto doesn’t explain what this will involve.

As part of changes to tax, Reform want to raise the national insurance rate from 13.8% to 20% for foreign workers to “incentivise businesses to employ British citizens”.

Essential health and care workers would be exempt from this tax raise, as well as businesses with five or less employees. The party claim this would boost wages and could raise over £20bn over five years to fund apprenticeships for young British people.

Farage’s party also say they will lift the income tax start point to £20,000 per year and cut energy taxes to fight the cost-of-living crisis. 

In last week’s ITV election debate, the leader of the Reform party seemed to support scrapping the two-child benefit cap – although the party’s manifesto makes no mention of this.

YouGov’s latest poll on voting intentions showed Reform was ahead of the Conservatives by one point. All other polls showed the Tories were still ahead.