Ailbhe Rea: Labour Puts Off Benefits Cuts to Another Day

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall today set out plans to get more people back to work, spur economic growth and reduce the welfare bill.

If you’re a regular here, you’ll be familiar with the problem laid out in the “Get Britain Working” white paper: 9.3 million working-age adults in the UK are economically inactive, 700,000 more than before the pandemic. Long-term sickness is a key driver, keeping a record number — 2.8 million, half a million more than in 2019 — out of work. There’s also a notorious skills shortage here in the UK, with one in eight young people not in education, employment or training.

Kendall’s plans include a guarantee of education or training for every young person, and — she hinted — the removal of benefits for those who refuse. That’s combined with reforms to Jobcentres, and a review of how employers can help people with long-term health problems and disabilities to get work and stay in it.