Navigating Welfare Reform and Its Complexities

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.

This week, the Government announced their plans for welfare reform, so we take a look at the language around welfare, around benefit claimants, and how it's changed over the years. Gone are the 'strivers vs shirkers' of the 2010s or even Peter Lilley's infamous 'little list' of the early 90s. This government talks of 'supporting people into work' and 'right to try', but with the savings they are making, do their actions match their rhetoric?

This episode has been edited to remove an inaccurate statement about the relative size of tax fraud compared to benefit fraud.

Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.

Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk

Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-King Production Coordinator - Katie Baum and Caroline Barlow Executive Producer - Pete Strauss

Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4. An EcoAudio Certified Production.