‘I was earning £95k before I went on benefits. This is how I got back to work'

Telegraph

23-04-2025

Jamie Walker always prided himself on his work ethic. He had worked his whole adult life, with jobs ranging from a potato factory to a roofing business. It was part of his identity.
He worked hard and became a small business owner, higher-rate taxpayer and family man. He may not fit into your stereotypical image of a benefits claimant.
At one point, Walker was earning close to six figures. But in 2020, Walker's life took a downward spiral, forcing him on to Universal Credit and leaving him extremely 'vulnerable'. Fast forward five years and he says he has finally come 'full circle' – but it hasn't been easy to get back on his feet.
At the age of 17, after completing a scholarship-funded course at drama college, Walker put his confidence and acting skills to good use in ambassadorial roles for drinks giants such as Bacardi and Diageo. He travelled the world, appeared on television and wrote several cocktail books.
Years later, after getting married and having four children, Walker traded in the high-flying lifestyle for a back-of-house role. He worked as a commercial director and head of marketing within the luxury spirits and wine industries, earning £95,000 a year.
Just after he broke away and set up his own business, ready to sell a 'really lovely portfolio of spirits', the Covid pandemic hit, forcing Walker's business – along with the rest of the world – online.
In the space of a couple of years Walker faced a 'tsunami of challenges'; he separated from his wife, his mother passed away and his business profits were eroded by Covid.
'My mental health was taking a good kicking,' he says. 'I developed an alcohol addiction as I tried to drown out the pain.'
'All I wanted to do was work'
In 2021, Walker started experiencing psychosis and hallucinations.
'Even at that time, all I wanted to do was work because I associated being able to provide for my family with who I was. But I was put into hospital on several occasions and it became very clear that I needed not to work,' Walker recalls.
He started getting the support he needed in 2021 and signed on for benefits. This involved agreeing to the terms to receive Universal Credit, which often include attending the job centre and seeking employment.
Universal Credit is a monthly payment for people who are looking for work, unable to work because of illness or disability, or in work on a low income. For single people over the age of 25, the monthly standard allowance is £400.14, but there are variables that mean you might get more or less than this.
In 2023, there were roughly six million people receiving the benefit in the UK, according to data company Statista.
While this state support can provide a lifeline for people suffering with illness – either physical or mental, like Walker – he recalls how 'bleak and austere' life on benefits was.