Talking Universal Credit : in conversation with Lord Freud, Minister for Welfare Reform

This article draws on an interview with Lord Freud, Minister for Welfare Reform since May 2010, and explores the origins of Universal Credit and how it was turned over the course of five years or so from an aspirational idea into a detailed blueprint for change and finally into legislation in the form of the Welfare Reform Act 2012. What emerges is an intriguing case study in British policy making. At the time of the interview in July 2013 the implementation of Universal Credit had just begun in a small number of pilot areas. Lord Freud also discusses the objectives of Universal Credit and when and how we will know whether these are being met