I came across this headline: 'Kemi Badenoch SLATES Labour's welfare SPLURGE as hardworking Brits face 'EYE-WATERING' energy costs' Can you fact check it?

Where does Badenoch’s argument come from?

Kemi Badenoch is making a political framing argument:

• She emphasises:
  • Incentives to work
  • Fiscal discipline
• And argues money could be better used elsewhere (e.g. tax cuts, energy relief)

That’s a legitimate political position, but:

• It’s not the same as proving overspending
• It doesn’t show spending is unusually high by objective standards

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Is welfare spending causing high energy bills?

No — this is the weakest part of the claim.

Energy prices in the UK are mainly driven by:

• Global gas markets
• Wholesale energy prices
• Geopolitics (e.g. supply disruptions)

Government spending choices (like welfare) don’t directly determine energy prices.

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As a % of GDP (the key metric)

• Welfare spending is not dramatically above historical norms
• It’s roughly in line with:
  • Late Conservative-era levels
  • Pandemic recovery period adjustments

➤ C. Per person (real terms)

• Some benefits have barely kept up with inflation
• Others (like disability support) have increased more

👉 Conclusion:
There’s no clear evidence of an exceptional surge compared to recent history.

Final takeaway

• ✔ Welfare spending has increased
• ✔ Badenoch did criticise it
• ❌ “Welfare splurge” = political language, not a factual conclusion
• ❌ No strong evidence it’s unusually high
• ❌ No clear link to energy costs

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