Minister confirms benefit cuts for young people declining work

The Work and Pensions Secretary has announced that young individuals who decline employment will face a reduction in their benefits. Liz Kendall informed the BBC that the government plans to offer young people the chance to “earn or learn” through new proposals set to be revealed on Tuesday. She added that “In return for those new opportunities young people will have a responsibility to take them up.” Official figures released earlier this week indicated that nearly one million young people were not engaged in education, employment, or training between July and September. Under new measures designed to reform the welfare system, a “Youth Guarantee” for 18 to 21-year-olds aims to provide training or facilitate their return to work. Kendall told Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that these proposals would involve a comprehensive overhaul of the apprenticeship system, ensuring “more people have the chance to train” and offering young people “the opportunity to be earning or learning.” When asked if those who did not accept these offers would lose benefits, Kendall responded: “Yes.” She stated that this initiative would significantly enhance prospects for young people. She further remarked: “If you are out of work when you’re young that can have lifelong consequences in terms of your future job prospects and earning potential.” In an opinion piece published in the Mail on Sunday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged that the benefits overhaul would target “criminals” who “game the system.” Kendall informed the BBC that she believed some individuals capable of working choose not to, though she considered these people to be “in the minority” among benefit claimants. Economic inactivity has seen a rapid increase since the pandemic. Currently, 9.3 million individuals are neither employed nor seeking work, representing an increase of 713,000 since Covid. Almost three million people are unemployed due to ill health, marking a 500,000 rise since 2019. When questioned about the recent increase in benefit claimants, Kendall mentioned that some individuals have “self-diagnosed” mental health problems, alongside those “diagnosed by doctors,” but she also acknowledged a “genuine problem” with mental health across the UK. According to the previous Conservative government’s proposals to restrict eligibility for incapacity benefits, an estimated 400,000 individuals on long-term sick leave would have ceased receiving payments. The Work and Pensions Secretary declined to confirm if these individuals would retain their benefits under Labour’s proposed changes. She stated: “We will deliver those savings, we will bring forward our own reforms.” Kevin Hollinrake, the Shadow Housing Secretary, commented that the increasing number of people unable to work due to ill health constituted “a phenomenon caused largely by the pandemic.” He asserted that the preceding government had been “dealing with it” and expressed approval of Labour’s attention to the matter, but he further remarked: “I want to make sure they do the right things rather than just talk a good game.” Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.