More than 200,000 young men have been signed off work for life, sparking fury at Labour’s failure to get a grip on Britain’s benefits crisis.
Official figures from the Department for Work and Pensions show 231,000 men aged just 16–29 are now on Universal Credit with zero requirement to find a job.
That’s one in three young claimants. And the numbers are soaring.
Across the country, a staggering 6.5 million people are claiming out-of-work benefits, with worklessness among under-30s up by more than a fifth in just a year.
Helen Whately, the Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, blasted:
“More people on benefits, unemployment up 10 months in a row and rising numbers of young people not in education or employment. All the figures are going in the wrong direction.
Labour’s jobs tax and union-inspired red tape has slammed the brakes on businesses hiring. Fewer entry-level jobs hit young people especially hard. That goes hand in hand with Keir Starmer’s failure to get welfare reform past his backbenchers in the summer.”
BILLIONS DOWN THE DRAIN
The welfare bill is heading for a record high of 4.2% of national income in the next financial year, piling pressure on taxpayers.
Robert Jenrick, the Shadow Justice Secretary, warned:
“I’m absolutely terrified that unless Rachel Reeves changes course very quickly, we will see a financial crisis… akin to 2008. Tens of thousands could lose their homes, small businesses could go under. That debt crisis is coming — maybe within 12 months.”
His verdict:
“The state is far too large. We’ve got to cut public spending now — above all else in welfare.”
Labour Floundering
Labour’s Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden tried to shift the blame, saying:
“We inherited a system from the Tories with too many young people going onto benefits instead of into work. I’ve made it an early priority to tackle this issue…”
But critics point out his predecessor Liz Kendall was forced to ditch £5bn of planned welfare cuts after a Labour backbench revolt.
CRISIS LOOMING
With one in 20 men in their twenties now out of the workforce entirely, Labour is accused of dragging Britain towards economic disaster. Soaring borrowing. A spiralling welfare bill. Fewer young men in work.
As Jenrick put it:
“The rubber has hit the road.”
And unless Labour changes course, Brits face higher taxes, repossessions and another financial crash.
well its not just the labour party that needs a good kick up the butt, i have been a conservative support since Thatcher the values i believed coincided with my own yet no party will stop the migrants, stop these and stop benefits for them and you already save millions, millions i might add that could go to supporting our own ex service men and women who are homeless, supporting those who have served then discarded by the system, rebuilding the nhs to the standards it once was, we need a strong leader much like thatcher and Churchill and Johnson(yes i count him as a strong leader he bought us through the pandemic and Brexit) it appears to me that when the crap hits the fan a conservative MP steps into the breach and rallies the nation then a labour comes in and screws us
Astonishingly, we keep paying benefits to the work shy which seems to be easier than paying then to do nothing. Work for your benefits has to be better than just expecting a benefit for doing nothing. Sweeping roads, collecting rubbish delivering prescriptions spending time with the lonely cleaning up illegal spraying on walls even distributing government leaflets the list is endless there is work for every one, but we haven’t got a strong enough government to enforce it. Benefits is not meant to be sit in your bum all day and do nothing.