In the run-up to the UK budget, Labour has been trailing just how perilous the Government’s finances are; seeking to prepare the country for what is expected to be an unpalatable (and unwelcome) combination of tax rises and spending cuts. As part of this, social security has been mentioned as an area where  tough decisions may be needed.

Sadly, though, as all those reliant on social security would tell anyone willing to listen, the welfare system is woefully inadequate, with benefit levels far below what is needed to afford even the most basic essentials. There is an urgent, moral need to invest in social security; repairing what has become a completely frayed, hole-filled safety net. 

The to-do list here is long, and Labour would do well to learn from the Scottish Government’s commitment to investing in social security as a force for good; most evident through the flagship Scottish Child Payment which provides £25 per chid per week to families on a low-income across Scotland. 

But, right now , Labour could shift the dial on welfare and start to make a difference to the lives of those who receive benefits without spending a penny. For far too long, "welfare" and the lives of those who receive it has been stigmatised and denigrated. People and the support they receive have been depicted as part of the problem. It is time to tell a different story: to recognise that social security is an essential part of our welfare state; and that people who receive it make important contributions, be that through paid work, volunteering or parenting work. 

When Keir Starmer talks about providing hope to ordinary people, it would be refreshing if Labour could drop the ever-present "working" preface; which implicitly suggests that only those currently in paid work should be entitled to a better future. Every time a politician blithely talks of the need to make the country better for "working people", this is experienced as exclusionary to those who - for whatever reason - cannot currently work. Politicians need to take much more care in the language they use; avoiding anything that returns us to the tired, simplistic dichotomies of "strivers" and "shirkers" so popular in the Conservative years. Instead, Labour should look to build solidarity and connection across the population; recognising what unites us rather than relying on a stigmatising rhetoric of difference.

In our work in Scotland on Changing Realities, we are collaborating with parents and carers on a low income and Child Poverty Action Group to document what life is really like and to push for change. Parents report how real the struggle is to get by, and how much they would welcome a chance to be listened to; and to be included in the political narrative.

When Rachel Reeves delivers her first Budget, she should make clear that she is working for, and wants to help, every British citizen. Building a new rhetoric on "welfare" which recognises the contributions made outside of paid employment and the vital role played by social security would signal a radical change. The time for that has come. 

Find out more about Changing Realities and get involved here.

Ruth Patrick is Professor of Social Policy at the University of York and project lead on Changing Realities

Agenda is a column for outside contributors. Contact: agenda@theherald.co.uk