IDS under fire after department exposed for faking benefit sanctions leaflet

Chingford and Woodford Green MP Iain Duncan Smith has come under fire this week from critics after his department was caught fabricating testimonials from fake claimants.

The Secretary of State for work and pensions has pushed forward his flagship welfare reform programme that has seen six benefits form the new universal credit and millions of pounds slashed from the benefits bill.

Following a Freedom of Information (FoI) request by website Welfare Weekly, it has been revealed stock images and made-up quotations were used to illustrate supposed claimants' support for sanctions.

Welfare Weekly reported that shortly after submitting the FoI, the leaflets disappeared from the government's website.

The leaflets included two testimonies from sick benefit claimant's who had supposedly been sanctioned.

Zac's story read: "I let my work coach know in advance that I couldn’t go to our meeting because I had a hospital appointment.

"I had a good reason for not going to the meeting and proof of the appointment. My benefit payment hasn’t changed and we booked another meeting I could get to."

The DWP has now admitted the case studies were used for "illustrative purposes" and have been removed to "avoid confusion".

A spokeswoman, said: "The case studies were used for illustrative purposes to help people understand how the benefit system works.

"They’re based on conversations our staff have had with claimants.

"They have now been removed to avoid confusion."

Welfare Weekly editor Steven Preece slammed the revelation as "damning" and accused the DWP of going to "any length to mislead the voting public into believing the benefit sanctions regime is working". 

He continued: "While vulnerable people are pushed to food banks and loan sharks after having their benefits stopped, the DWP believe it is acceptable to include made up stories and stock photos in an official advice leaflet.

"The DWP need to understand and accept that misleading the public is not acceptable and we urge them to make a public apology at the earliest possible convenience."

Labour's acting shadow work and pensions secretary Stephen Timms, said: "You couldn’t make it up – but it seems Iain Duncan Smith can.

"The only way he can find backers for his sanctions regime is by inventing them.

"Instead of fabricating quotes pretending the system is working, he should scrap unfair sanctions targets for jobcentre staff and do more to protect vulnerable people from facing benefit sanctions."

At a job's fair organised by Mr Duncan Smith in October, job-seeker claimants told the Guardian they faced losing their benefits if they did not attend.

Mr Duncan Smith has been contacted for a comment.

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