A mother of eight has told of her lavish spending on a horse and breast enhancement surgery despite being on benefits.
Marie Buchan has been relying on taxpayer-funded handouts for 23 years amounting to about £500,000 over that period.
But despite being jobless and living off of the state, the 42-year-old has been able to spend the money frivolously.
Ms Buchan, 42, who has been dubbed “The Welfare Queen”, told The Sun: “Being on benefits has never held me back from doing anything. I have had a lot of luxuries.”
The single mother, who lives in a four-bedroomed house in Selly Oak, Birmingham, is among about 9.4 million people who are currently jobless, according to the Office for National Statistics. At the Labour Party Conference on Tuesday, Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, vowed to “do everything we can to tackle worklessness”.
In her 23 years of claiming benefits, Ms Buchan’s annual income has fluctuated between £26,000 and £37,000.
While she admits she feels guilty for taking taxpayers’ money, she argued there is no incentive to work.
“I believe we are better off on benefits, because we get help in every area of our lives, whether that’s the rent, bringing up the kids, or bills,” she said.
“You can access food banks or fuel vouchers. There’s a lot of help out there. I’ve completed six college courses on mechanics and social work, but I’m still sitting here claiming my benefits. I’ve done nothing with them.
“It’s very easy to sit in the system for the rest of your life.”
In 2018, Ms Buchan caused widespread outrage after travelling to Turkey to spend £1,500 on breast surgery.
After being met with widespread backlash, Ms Buchan insisted she had raised the money to pay for the procedure through car boot sales.
The following year it emerged that she had travelled abroad for surgery on her vagina. She again insisted she financed this from car boot sales.
“I did fly abroad to get the surgery, but it’s something I’ve come to regret,” she said. “It was all a very big mistake and it’s embarrassing for my kids.”
She faced further backlash after deciding to buy a horse with her benefits.
Aged 19, Ms Buchan gave birth to her first child Tia and entered the benefits system, giving up her career as a part-time carer.
In 2015, she appeared on This Morning and said the proposed £23,000 a year benefit cap would leave her short.
“I was on £26,000 at the time, meaning I only had £500 a week to survive on,” she said. “We are a big family, so half of it would go on our food shop alone.
“We also had the rent, the council tax and bills to worry about. The council only paid £45 per week towards rent and £16 per week towards council tax.”
