I bought a horse with tax money and used the benefits to get a breast augmentation

A BOOB job, a designer vagina and… a horse.

No, this isn’t the start of a bad joke, it’s a list of ‘luxuries’ that mother of eight Marie Buchan has allowed herself over the past decade, despite living on benefits for most of her adult life.

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Marie, 42, has been dubbed the ‘Welfare Queen’. She has been in the system for 23 years and has received around £500,000 in government support.

‘Profiteer’, ‘benefit freak’ and ‘advocate’ are insults she is used to hearing.

But in comments that will set hard-working Britons boiling, the rebellious mother says her life outside the state has allowed her to live a life of almost mind-boggling extravagance.

“Being on benefits has never stopped me from doing anything,” says Marie. “I’ve had a lot of luxury.”

The single mother, who lives in a four-bedroom house in Selly Oak, Birmingham, is one of millions of people facing Britain’s growing unemployment crisis.

According to Statistics Netherlands (CBS), more than 20 percent of the working population, approximately 9.4 million people, are currently unemployed. the office for National Statistics.

About 2.8 million of them are on long-term sick leave and, according to data released last week by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, one in 10 working-age people now receives disability benefits.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Labour would do “whatever we can to tackle unemployment”, including tackling benefit fraudsters.

While it is undoubtedly difficult for many people on benefits to make ends meet, the fact that Marie lives off the state does not mean she is unable to cope financially.

In 2018, she caused outrage when she travelled to Turkey to have a £1,500 breast enlargement, going from a 34A cup to a 34D.

Public anger

She maintains that she paid for the treatment with money she raised at flea markets, but it is more likely that the goods she sold were purchased with taxpayers’ money in the first place.

The following year she was in the news again when it was revealed that she had flown abroad to undergo laser treatment to get a ‘designer vagina’, again claiming that she had paid for this with the loot she had taken from her car.

“I did fly abroad to have the surgery, but I regret it now,” she confesses.

“It was all a big mistake and it’s embarrassing for my children.”

Marie again caused public outrage when she decided to buy a horse with her benefits.

“I just wanted to buy something for myself Nice and I had saved my money. It had always been my dream to own one,” she admits.

It’s very easy to stay in the system for the rest of your life

“I paid £600 up front for the horse and then had to pay another £100 a month to keep him at the yard. Food cost about £25 a month.”

Looking back, Marie says she can understand why people were outraged. “It was a big mistake. I was rubbing it in people’s faces and showing off and I really regret that,” she says.

“It’s gone now because I couldn’t keep it. Maybe I can buy another one when I go back to work.”

Despite her regular government spending, Marie has not always led such a glamorous life.

“When I was growing up, my parents weren’t wealthy. My dad was a window cleaner and my mom is disabled, so she got disability benefits,” she says.

“We were a big family – my grandmother had 14 children. We didn’t have many, but we managed.”

At the age of 19, Marie had her eldest daughter, Tia, and became eligible for benefits for the first time.

“At that time I was working alternately as a caregiver. I was no longer receiving benefits, and another child was receiving benefits again,” she says.

“It was a bit of a rollercoaster ride, so in the end I decided to stay on benefits so I could have time to raise my children.”

Many hard-working parents make the heartbreaking decision not to raise their children due to financial constraints.

But for Marie it was never a problem to have more children.

“I always wanted a big family, hoping they would take care of me when I was old and gray,” she says.

“I never thought about the financial impact of having eight children because it is so easy to get government help.

“They even give you the form at the hospital to claim your child benefit. They make it too easy.”

Marie became famous as a goal drew criticism when she appeared on the This Morning programme in 2015, claiming the proposed £23,000-a-year cap would leave her short of what she earned.

“I was living on £26,000 at the time, which meant I was only getting by on £500 a week,” she says.

‘Working Queen’

“We are a large family, so we use half of it just for our groceries.

“We also had rent, council tax and bills to worry about. The council only paid £45 a week in rent and £16 a week in council tax.”

Over the 23 years that Marie has been receiving benefits, her annual income has fluctuated between £26,000 and £37,000.

The government needs to encourage people like me and stop forgetting about them and just allowing them to claim benefits.

She admits she feels guilty about taking taxpayer money, but she claims 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 it’s rent, childcare or bills,” she says.

“You can go to food banks or fuel vouchers. There is a lot of help available.

“I’ve completed six university courses in mechanics and social work, yet here I am, claiming my benefits. I haven’t done anything with them.

“It’s very easy to stay in the system for the rest of your life.”

Marie’s eldest daughter, Tia, who had her own son in September 2022, has followed in her mother’s footsteps and is now applying for benefits.

“I worry about the example I’ve set for my children,” says Marie, who is also the mother of Leah (22), La Toya (19), Joshua (18), Alisha (15), Mikayla (13), Amelia (11) and Olivia (10).

“Living on welfare for the rest of your life is no way to live.”

Now that her eldest son has left home, Marie’s benefits have been cut and the mother continues to insist that the luxuries she once boasted about are a thing of the past.

She added: “I had to go to a food bank a few weeks ago. We’ve really struggled. With fuel prices on top of that, I’ve had to go back on universal credit, which only gives me £74 a week.”

Marie, who last worked as a part-time caregiver in 2017, says she is ready to give up the gifts that made her famous.

“I want to make something of myself – not just for myself, but for my family,” she says.

“My goal is to get back to work. I don’t have a resume, but I’ve made an appointment to get that done.

“I would like to be a Health Care Assistant. The government needs to push people like me and stop forgetting about them and just letting them claim benefits.”

“My mother and father are very sad that this is what my life has become. But I believe that I can turn things around with the right help and guidance.

“I’m ready to be the Working Queen instead of the Welfare Queen.”

• To watch the full interview with Marie, visit YouTube.com/@fabulousmag tomorrow at 5pm or scan the QR code to view more Life Stories.