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Should we ban benefits being spent on booze, cigarettes and gambling? | BBC Question Time

BBC Politics

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Would the Conservative’s proposed welfare policy of preventing the long-term jobless from spending money on alcohol, cigarettes and gambling lead to cultural change?

Watch what the Question Time Panel in Cambridge said, featuring Labour’s Jonathan Reynolds, Conservative Helen Whately, Liberal Democrat Josh Babardine, journalist and broadcaster Andrew Neil, and political commentator Ash Sarkar.

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20 Comments

@Xaipete 4 days ago

What needs to change is the governments TOTAL incompetence at spending our hard earned taxes , not just the benefit system.

@jackdaniels4368 6 days ago

Watching Question time is like watching a people you have never met and would hate to spend time with.
But it’s every week.

@PitchPerfectDesign 6 days ago

Banning Question Time would be more conducive to the public good.

@Will-p9y 5 days ago

The crowd has been hand picked with scripted questions by the BBC

@satoshi_yukamoto841 4 days ago

We are told that we need immigrants to do jobs and then we are told that that the reason there is so much unemployed is because there are no jobs. So which one is it???

@davidlondon2810 6 days ago

Kudos to Andrew Neil for summing the whole issue up so perfectly (and with such humanity) while the career politicians foundered with proposals that either avoided dealing with the problem entirely or would make the whole system even more complicated.

@otterspocket2826 4 days ago

Should we ban MP's salaries being spent on cocaine, and should taxpayers' money be used to subsidise THEIR alcohol in the House of Commons bar?

@djfearross4144 6 days ago

Billions spent on asylum each year. People not even residents of this country.

@SueBayliss-z2c 3 days ago

Cut MP’s expenses, close bars and restaurants in Houses of parliament. Let them take lunch boxes with them to work, like normal people do. Hypocrites.

@TinHatCat 6 days ago

Thank goodness for Andrew Neil - the voice of reason.

@debbielondon1809 4 days ago

And we need IMMIGRATION to fill JOBS?
Make it make sense.

@IanHolton 6 days ago

These politicians creating the problems in our society singling out groups of people so they can then 'blame' to divide and conquer the rest of us. Same old story really.

@minstrelofMir 3 days ago

£662 million a year given to France to stop the boats ,,so no

@steven482 6 days ago

If all that money is getting spent on booze. Then the money is going straight back to the government isnt it?

@alwoo5645 6 days ago

Andrew Neil is the only adult on the panel.

@scottishlaochra 6 days ago

I agree that people should not be able to buy booze etc on benefits, on the same token the taxpayer should not cover MPs expenses for booze etc either nor should tax payer subsidise booze within political buildings like Westminster or Holyrood

@celiamimi4167 6 days ago

Do these people actually think £400 a month to pay all bills and food and clothes is a good way to live ? Where are all these jobs for all these people ???

@richardharburn5121 3 days ago

Always someone else to get the flack for collecting taxes. Internet providers to collect £11 BBC Licence, Supermarkets to stop people smoking/drinking. This is to deflect from Government policy.