
Contents
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Introduction Introduction
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Party manifestos and departmental leadership Party manifestos and departmental leadership
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Manifesto commitments Manifesto commitments
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Departmental leadership: Secretaries of State Departmental leadership: Secretaries of State
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Social security spending Social security spending
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Policies: changes in working-age benefits Policies: changes in working-age benefits
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Benefit levels: long frozen for those of working age Benefit levels: long frozen for those of working age
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Universal Credit Universal Credit
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Caps, limits and other austerity measures Caps, limits and other austerity measures
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Disability benefits Disability benefits
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Responses under COVID-19 Responses under COVID-19
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The living cost crisis 2022– The living cost crisis 2022–
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The short-lived ‘plan for growth’ (2022) and after The short-lived ‘plan for growth’ (2022) and after
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Policies: changes in pensions and older-age benefits Policies: changes in pensions and older-age benefits
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The new State Pension The new State Pension
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Non-state pensions and auto-enrolment Non-state pensions and auto-enrolment
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State Pension ages State Pension ages
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Incomes and poverty Incomes and poverty
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Conclusion Conclusion
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Notes Notes
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References References
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10 Social security policies under the Conservatives 2015–22: austerity, COVID-19 and the living cost crisis
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Published:January 2024
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Abstract
The post-2015 period largely continued the social security policies introduced by the Coalition Government 2010–15, prioritising support for older people over working-age individuals. Key policies included the further implementation of Universal Credit, benefit level freezes (and new caps) for working-age individuals, auto-enrolment for private pensions and the new State Pension. The response to the COVID-19 pandemic showed the potential for change in the social security system, essentially acknowledging the inadequate level of benefits, and hence exposed the gap between the current situation and transformative measures that might be adopted. Levels of poverty in the UK remained consistently high, particularly for families with children, even before the recent cost of living crisis from 2022.
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