Welfare to work

After the Second World War, the British welfare state was further strengthened. The welfare programme offered citizens an education, an opportunity to find a job, adequate housing, free healthcare and financial support in times of special need. The state guaranteed a certain minimum level of provision that did not depend on people’s ability to pay. If people wanted something better, then they were free to find it and pay for it. Fifty years on, most British politicians remain committed to the idea of a welfare…