𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

A surge in young people going on benefits has seen the equivalent of 2,000-plus under-30s signing onto Universal Credit (UC) every day, a new analysis warns. The number of people in this age group who are out of work and on UC has hit 1.08 million – 66,000 more than when Labour took office, according to a study by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ).

This “youth welfare surge” reflects a “deeper crisis in the wasted potential of young people,” the think tank claims. It points to worsening mental health among young people and increasing dependency on sickness benefits.

Ahead of the Autumn Budget, the CSJ is pushing for the withdrawal of UC health support and personal independence payments from people with “milder anxiety, depression or ADHD”. These and other measures would save £7.4billion by 2029-30, it states.

Joe Shalam of the Centre for Social Justice said: “The Prime Minister is right that having a million jobless young people is a moral and economic disaster. But unless ministers grasp the nettle of welfare reform, Britain risks writing off a generation.”

Former Conservative Work and Pensions Secretary Sir Iain Duncan Smith said: “Before lockdown, we had the lowest numbers of workless households since records began. Since then, the scale of the disincentive to work has grown dramatically.

“We cannot allow another wasted generation to be trapped in dependence rather than independence and achievement.”

Newly appointed Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden told civil servants he wants to make sure young people have the right skills to seize opportunities. He insisted “tough questions” need to be asked about the increase in the number of young people not in employment, education or training.

He said: “[The] truth is, if you don’t get somebody on the right path or a productive path at that age, it can be very difficult to change the course later on. So I want that to be an early area of priority for me.”

A Government spokesperson said: “For too long, too many young people have been denied the skills, support, and opportunities they need to succeed in work. That’s why we’re investing an extra £45million in the Youth Guarantee trailblazer, ensuring every young person in the country is earning or learning.

“This comes alongside our reforms to the welfare system, which tackle the perverse incentives that trap people out of work by rebalancing Universal Credit, alongside the record £3.8billion for employment support and the expansion of mental health services.”