From ‘cradle to grave’ to sanctions and food banks

When victory was declared in Europe in 1945, Britain was exhausted but determined.

It wasn’t just about celebrating peace — it was about building a better, fairer society for all.

That meant tackling the “five giants” named in the 1942 Beveridge Report: Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor and Idleness.

The response was bold: a comprehensive “welfare state” designed to protect every citizen — not just from poverty, but from the fear of it.

Fast-forward 80 years, and the transformation of that system into today’s regime of suspicion, conditionality, and punishment should shame us all.

The original vision: a safety net with dignity

The post-war Labour government didn’t delay. They introduced:

• A National Insurance system funded by contributions from all UK adults

• Family allowances and child benefit

• Unemployment support that didn’t criminalise jobseekers

• State pensions that allowed people to retire with security

• Help for people with disabilities that was rooted in respect

This wasn’t framed as “charity” or “handouts” — it was seen as an investment in people.

It recognised that misfortune can strike anyone, and that a civilised society provides support, not scorn.

What changed?

From the 1980s onward, welfare became a political battleground.

The narrative shifted from compassion to condemnation.

The press demonised benefit claimants as “scroungers”.

Governments cut benefits in the name of “efficiency”.

Successive parties competed to be “tough on welfare”, rather than focused on outcomes.

By the 2010s, under austerity and the introduction of Universal Credit, the system became actively harmful:

• Sanctions removed benefits from people for missing appointments or being minutes late.

• Delays in payments forced claimants into rent arrears and food banks.

• Disability assessments were outsourced, flawed, and often inhumane.

• Mental health and suicide rates rose among those targeted by cuts.

In short: the welfare state, once a proud British invention, became a trap of fear, bureaucracy, and punishment.

Britain in 2025: a country that abandons its vulnerable

We now have:

• Over 4 million children living in poverty

• One of the weakest state pensions in the developed world

• Thousands of people dying while waiting for disability support decisions

• Food bank use at record levels, including by people in work

• Homelessness rising, especially among vulnerable young adults

And let’s be clear: this is a political choice.

It is not a lack of money — it is a lack of will.

Back then, we chose hope. What are we choosing now?

In 1945, Britain was far poorer than today.

But the government chose to invest in people — even while rebuilding cities and paying off war debts.

Ministers chose fairness, dignity, and solidarity.

Now, with far greater wealth, we seem to choose the opposite.

Why? Because today’s leaders fear being seen as “soft”.

They chase headlines, not humanity.

They design systems that punish need instead of preventing it.

Do we still believe in a society that cares?

It’s time to ask: what kind of country are we?

• One that lets disabled people go hungry while fighting legal appeals?

• One that shames single parents for needing help?

• One that expects people to survive on £85 a week — and blames them when they can’t?

Or one that remembers what we once built — and chooses to do it again?

What’s your experience of the system?

🗣 Have you or someone close to you needed help from the benefits system?
🗣 Have you had to fight for disability support?
🗣 Did your parents or grandparents benefit from a welfare state that looked very different?
🗣 Do you work in social care or social security and see the effects first-hand?

We want your voices. Your stories. Your truth.

Reply in the comments, post on social media, or email us directly: [email protected]

We built a welfare state in the ashes of war. If we could do it then — why not now?