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“We’re going to end the ‘something-for-nothing’ culture.”

That phrase — peddled most famously by Iain Duncan Smith — has re-emerged as the government lays the groundwork for a new assault on disability benefits.

But just as it was when he spoke it in 2013, it remains a lie – a manipulative piece of rhetoric designed to turn public anger away from those who wield power, and direct it squarely at those with the least.

Let’s be clear: benefit claimants — including disabled people — are not receiving “something for nothing”.

Many have worked and paid into the system for years.

Even those who haven’t paid income tax contribute through VAT, council tax, and other charges.

Others take on unpaid, invisible roles that society quietly relies on: carers, community volunteers, parents.

Meanwhile, large companies — including those that profit from government contracts — are often the real beneficiaries of public generosity, raking in money and giving nothing back.

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Who’s really getting something for nothing?

When Iain Duncan Smith launched his so-called welfare “reforms”, one of the flagship policies was Mandatory Work Activity (MWA) — a scheme that forced jobseekers to work for their benefits.

But it wasn’t about employment – it was unpaid labour for massive corporations, subsidised by the public purse.

Back in 2013, I ran the numbers.

Take the case of Cait Reilly, the geology graduate who was forced to stack shelves at Poundland for no pay: had she been employed at minimum wage for the same hours, she would’ve earned around £742.80 over four weeks. Instead, she received just £225 in Jobseekers’ Allowance — paid from the public purse, not Poundland.

This wasn’t an isolated case. Between June 2011 and July 2012 (the dates I used at the time), nearly 900,000 people were placed on such schemes.

Using conservative estimates, I calculated that profit-making companies may have gained nearly £1 billion in unpaid labour, while the public covered the cost.

All under the pretext of “helping” people find work.

Worse still, any profits generated went straight to shareholders and CEOs — not back into the economy.

Had those workers been paid, that money would have circulated through local communities: food in shops, rent for landlords, shoes for kids. Instead, it was banked — often offshore.

From Workfare to welfare cuts

Fast forward to 2024, and the scapegoats have shifted. Now, the government is eyeing up disabled people.

Proposals have emerged to cut disability benefits for those deemed capable of some work — despite ongoing economic uncertainty, lack of accessible employment, and the immense personal challenges many face.

The language is depressingly familiar: ministers warn against “dependency”, hint at abuse, and reintroduce the tired claim that people are “taking something for nothing”. But as with Mandatory Work Activity, the rhetoric conceals a very different reality.

Disability benefits aren’t lavish.

They exist to help people survive — often in extremely difficult circumstances.

Claimants face hostile assessments, constant surveillance, and widespread stigma.

Some are forced to appeal again and again just to access what they’re entitled to.

This isn’t a free ride — it’s a bureaucratic boot camp.

All the while, businesses continue to receive actual handouts: tax reliefs, government contracts, subsidised labour, and corporate welfare – all dressed up as “investment”.

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New scheme, same story: pension surplus reforms

It’s not just in the past that corporations have benefited from government-backed “something for nothing” arrangements.

Take the current pension surplus reforms, billed by ministers as a way to “unlock billions” for corporate investment.

Under the proposed changes, companies with well-funded defined benefit (DB) pension schemes will be allowed to extract surplus funds — money previously ringfenced for scheme security — and redirect them toward business investment or shareholder returns.

The idea is sold as a “win-win”: employers gain flexibility, and members are “protected” by regulatory oversight.

But in reality, this marks a quiet shift in priorities.

These surpluses exist because workers and employers contributed to pension schemes under the promise of long-term security.

Diverting them away from future pension obligations — especially in an uncertain economy — risks reintroducing the kind of vulnerabilities that DB schemes were designed to avoid.

And for what?

Boosting corporate cash flow.

This is corporate welfare in a tailored suit: profits dressed up as prudence.

Nobody is suggesting businesses extract “something for nothing” here — but that is exactly what’s happening.

Corporate welfare: the hidden culture we don’t talk about

If there is a “something-for-nothing” culture in this country, it isn’t among the poor or disabled — it’s among corporations and their political enablers.

Consider:

• Workfare schemes, where businesses get free labour and the taxpayer foots the bill.

• DWP contracts handed to firms like Capita and Maximus to assess disabled people — firms that have failed repeatedly, yet continue to profit.

• Tax breaks and subsidies to large companies who offload risk onto the public, and profits into private hands.

• Public procurement scandals, where billions have been awarded with little scrutiny, oversight, or delivery.

No minister ever describes these as “handouts”.

Instead, they’re called “partnerships”, “investment”, or “innovation”.

But the principle is the same: public money goes out, with little accountability — and it rarely comes back.

Weaponising language: how prejudice becomes policy

The phrase “something-for-nothing” is more than a smear — it’s a tactic; a linguistic sleight-of-hand that shifts blame, fuels division, and provides cover for cruel decisions.

By painting benefit claimants as scroungers, the government avoids scrutiny of its own choices — and ensures the public’s anger is misdirected.

But this rhetoric doesn’t just mislead — it kills.

The years of austerity and welfare cuts have seen a documented rise in hardship, homelessness, and mental health crises. Disabled people have been disproportionately affected.

Now, it seems, the cycle is repeating.

Let’s name the real free-riders

It’s time we turned the mirror around.

If Poundland could receive free labour while posting multi-million pound profits — that’s something for nothing.

If Capita can fail vulnerable people and still cash huge cheques — that’s something for nothing.

If private landlords can take housing benefit payments without fixing leaks or mould — that’s something for nothing.

If ministers can slash support for disabled people while handing out contracts to donors — well, you get the idea.

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What should be done

If the government truly wants to eliminate waste and injustice, it should start with the companies profiting from poverty — not the people suffering through it.

The real “something-for-nothing” culture lives in boardrooms, not benefit offices.

Let’s call things what they are. Let’s call time on this toxic narrative.

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