“Britain’s welfare system is plainly unsustainable. With millions of working-age people economically inactive and the cost of sickness and disability benefits continuing to soar, doing nothing is no longer an option.

“Jenrick is right to ask how we get more people off benefits and back into work, and right to think seriously about incentives. Reassessing existing claims is necessary, as is ending welfare payments to foreign nationals. The proposed cuts to Employer NICs to offset the additional burden on businesses are welcome – and I hope they go further.

“But requiring 330,000 people to do community service risks creating a costly new bureaucracy for councils. Welfare reform should save money, not give the state another scheme to administer.”

“Taxpayers have a vested interest in how the government spends public money. Given the state of British national debt and the high costs of administering it, this is an important and timely conversation. Whilst controlling government spending is important, we need to make sure that these costs are not simply transferred to local governments and to employers, who already struggle with the cost of doing business in Britain.”