Higher defence spending won’t make Britain safer while families live in poverty

Against a backdrop of continued geopolitical instability, some politicians have recently resorted to a false logic, pressing for cuts to social security spending in order to bolster military funding. This is a dangerous premise, because you can’t pit national and household security against each other. You don’t make Britain safer by further impoverishing its families, pensioners, young people and those with health conditions.

Politicians understood this when they created our social security system out of the chaos of World War II, 80 years ago this year. And the Treasury minister James Murray is right to reject the fallacy, explaining that balancing welfare and defence spending “is not a zero‑sum game”.

As with the NHS, or our transport system, our social security system is a crucial part of our national infrastructure. It was set up so everyone can get support when they need it. It’s there to help people weather economic shocks and ensures bad luck doesn’t lead to inescapable poverty. It provides the security and stability which enables all of us to have better health, better educational achievement, and contribute to the economy. Our country’s future prosperity depends on more people having a decent chance now, and our nation’s children being able to reach their potential.

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The ongoing cost of living crisis is likely to worsen as the impacts of rising oil costs are passed on through food and energy costs.  Existing levels of support are already so meagre that around five out of six low-income families on universal credit are going without essentials like food or heating.

Cutting support would increase the already high levels of housing, energy and food insecurity in the UK, the sixth richest country in the world. By making it harder for us to bounce back from setbacks, it makes us all less safe. It places expensive burdens on our hospitals, housing, and emergency services. More than that, it thins the social glue that binds us all together.

False narratives reinforce stigma and damage public confidence in our social security system. As a percentage of GDP, the government is spending the same amount on working-age benefits as it was in 2015, around 5%, and this is not projected to change by 2030. Framing it as an unsustainable burden is misleading, inaccurate and has real world impacts: it’s estimated that billions go unclaimed every year due to fear and stigma.

People are turning to food banks before claiming what they are due, as recent Turn2us and Bristol University research found – and while a majority of the public (71%) believe claiming benefits should not be shameful, 64% of claimants feel that the system is trying to catch them out. For the system to work well, it needs to command trust, and that starts with the way we talk about it.

Debates about spending choices offer an opportunity to change the way we talk about social security. Turn2us has produced two guides to help both parliamentarians and journalists talk about the system in a more accurate and destigmatising way. This matters, because a truly supportive system encourages us to reach out for help when we need it, not as a last resort once we’ve spiralled into crisis.

Most of us will need to use the system at some point and when we do, we would all expect to be treated with dignity and respect. We shouldn’t feel undeserving when we claim social security to help us navigate parenthood, ill-health, redundancy, or retirement. Changing the way we talk about social security helps everyone: those facing financial shocks, such as losing a job or a loved one, young people entering the workforce, and disabled people who rely on the social security system to live with independence and dignity. 

A good social security system enables everyone to live with dignity, managing changes in our lives, while preventing and relieving poverty. It allows people to feel secure, participate as equals in society and underpins a caring, inclusive economy. That’s why our system is described as providing social ‘security’ – it’s built on a vision of collective protection. In volatile times, we need this collective protection more than ever.

Shelley Hopkinson is head of policy and influencing at Turn2us.

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