Welfare reform is back in Westminster, with both Labour and the Tories now seeking solutions to deal with the 5.2 million on out-of-work benefits – a figure which The Spectator was first to pick up on. The Times today splashed on possible government proposals with Labour’s Jon Ashworth now accusing his opposite number Mel Stride of ‘stealing’ his proposals. In such circumstances, the Department for Work and Pensions could do worse than consider an intriguing proposal put forward by John Penrose MP, the UK’s long-time Anti-Corruption Champion.
Now confined to the backbenches, Penrose is channelling his reforming zeal into new avenues instead. The Weston-super-Mare MP has written to Stride, urging him to improve the transparency of his department's employment support schemes and the performance of third-party suppliers. Some £2.5 billion a year is currently spent on initiatives like the flagship 'Restart' programme, with suppliers required to report performance data as part of their contracts.
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