Stephen Crabb and 'compassionate conservatism'

An interview with Stephen Crabb this morning gave a hint at potential future directions for the Department for Work and Pensions, and possibly for the career of Mr Crabb himself. Whilst predictably defending Universal Credit against the criticisms made by the Resolution Foundation, and whilst not in any way straying from the party line, Mr Crabb hinted at conflict with the Chancellor, and gave some indication that his approach may be significantly different from that of his predecessor.

Mr Crabb said, “For me what matters more than anything is the real life impact on families and individuals” and that he had told his department“To get much better at thinking about the human impact, so that we really, really understand the impact that our changes are having – the positive changes, the beneficial changes, but also areas where we need to tread much more carefully in future.” (my emphasis) This seems to be a subtle but very welcome acknowledgement, for which Mr.Crabb  is to be congratulated, that in the past the DWP may have ignored the multitude of credible voices telling it about the negative impacts of many welfare reforms.

If Mr Crabb really does want his department to adopt a more compassionate approach, the opportunities for him to make a positive difference are numerous. First, he could look at scrapping the utterly discredited Work Capability Assessment, (WCA) which has caused so much distress to seriously ill and disabled people, and which we know is actually costing more than it saves. Indeed, given the fact that the WCA is such a waste of money, the Secretary of State could present its abolition to the Chancellor as a money-saving measure.

For information on ‘real life impact’, Mr Crabb could look at two recent reports, from the Trussell Trust and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which show how DWP policies are actually contributing to hunger and destitution. The Trussell Trust reported that problems with benefits account for 42 per cent of foodbank use, with sanctions being a particular problem. Of the emergency food parcels given out by the Trussell Trust last year, 415,866 were for children. And a report  by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that at some point last year, well over a million people found themselves destitute, including 312,000 children. Again, benefit problems and sanctions were a main route into destitution, as was ill health or disability.

Mr. Crabb often refers to the fact that his own mother was a lone parent who relied on benefits for a substantial period whilst he was a child, but later moved into work and bought their council house. This was long before our recent welfare reforms. What would have happened if Mr. Crabb’s mother had received a benefit sanction? Would he have needed an emergency food parcel like so many children today? Would his mother have found herself getting into debt just to survive, a debt she might never have been able to clear, and which would probably have meant she never became a property owner?

Mr Crabb’s real life experience of growing up with a parent on benefits could give him a great insight into the job he is doing now, but he should never forget one crucial fact. The benefits system his mother relied on was far less humiliating and punitive than the one he finds himself in charge of now.  He really needs to ponder on that.

After six years of austerity in which the Chancellor has given tax cuts to the rich whilst demanding swingeing cuts to the welfare budget and social care , many people, including lifelong Conservative supporters, are wondering what happened to 'Compassionate Conservatism'. Conservative councillors around the country are finding their consciences troubled by having to implement cuts which harm the very people they came into politics to help.

There is a political vacuum where compassionate Conservatism used to be, and the DWP has become a source of fear and dread to the people who most depend upon it. If Mr. Crabb really is open to hearing about  real life experience and progressive ideas about how to reduce that fear, he could go a long way towards filling that vacuum.

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© Bernadette Meaden has written about political, religious and social issues for some years, and is strongly influenced by Christian Socialism, liberation theology and the Catholic Worker movement. She is an Ekklesia associate and regular contributor. You can follow her on Twitter: @BernaMeaden