Former Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith was on the verge of tears as he recalled meeting a young mother who had "written off her life".
"I remember leaving there thinking, very simply, this is my daughter," he said.
He was speaking to Ian Hislop in an interview recorded in December for the programme Workers Or Shirkers? Ian Hislop's Victorian Benefits.
Viewers in the UK can watch the full programme at 2000BST on Thursday 7 April, on BBC Two.