The number of people on Universal Credit has hit 8.4 million, up 63,000 in a single month according to DWP data published today. This is also made up of off-flow from people on other benefits as well. That’s one in eight of the entire population…
Just 6.9% of people on benefits moved from welfare into work each month on average between January and September 2025, according to figures from the Department and Work and Pensions. The lowest rate in seven years…
At the same time, a whopping 4.2 million people were on Universal Credit with no requirement to work as of December. A reminder that the OBR forecasts the welfare bill will balloon by £73.2 billion to £406.2 billion over the next five years under Labour…
Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Helen Whately said:
“This hasn’t just happened by chance under Labour’s watch. It’s an inevitable consequence of their decisions in Government. They’ve put taxes up on jobs and piled red tape onto businesses, so they’re not hiring. Getting off benefits has got harder and the welfare trap is deeper.”
Remember when Starmer promised to “get Britain working”…
The number of Universal Credit claimants who aren’t required to work has risen by more than one million in a year. The biggest rise since the pandemic…
1.1 million have been added. New DWP stats show 48.7% of all claimants – four million – are in this category. Well up from 36.3% in October 2023…
The most recent rise of 159,654 in total UC claimants between September and October is the largest monthly hike since June 2020. Expensive…
UPDATE: A DWP spokesman said:
“The number of people receiving Universal Credit has been increasing as we have invited tens of thousands of people each month to move from legacy benefits as they become phased out. We’re determined to get more people off welfare and into work. That’s why we are stepping up our plan to Get Britain Working with the most ambitious employment reforms in a generation.
This includes modernising jobcentres and providing tailored support through the Connect to Work programme. Every eligible young person who has been on Universal Credit for 18 months without earning or learning will also be offered guaranteed paid work through our Youth Guarantee.”
A bit of fun for Pat McFadden at his new department as the civil servants there instantly vote on whether to strike. He’s not that bad…
DWP civil servants are being balloted for strike action by the Civil Service union PCS after rejecting the most recent pay offer. McFadden was shunted to DWP, which will subsume the skills bit of the DfE to become a new ‘super department.’ Spin that was happily lapped up by hacks on Friday…
In reality as Guido reported at the time McFadden was the loser from Darren Jones’ reset promotion. The ‘Chief Secretary’ has now stolen the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster title as well…
Staff at the UK’s largest department have been offered pay rises of between 3.75% and 4.01%, which the union complains is lagging behind other departments. The ballot runs until 30 September. Can’t be a Happy Patty…
In February, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Child Maintenance Group spent £61,314 on their government procurement cards. Back in March, when Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden trumpeted an immediate ‘freeze’ on taxpayer-funded credit card splurging, Guido said it wouldn’t last. In July, well after the vaunted ‘freeze’ they managed to splash £150,386. That’s a 145% increase…
Meanwhile, one million more people are now claiming Universal Credit since Labour came to power, taking the total to 8 million – the highest on record. Add the Whitehall ‘crackdown’ to the list of Labour’s broken promises…
UK DOGE has been keeping tabs on the government’s ballooning translation bills. Co-conspirators won’t be surprised to see the Department for Work and Pensions is one of the worst culprits…
According to a written parliamentary answer, the DWP splurged a staggering £7,656,454 last year on translation and interpretation services for benefit claimants. Of that, £6.7 million went on interpretation, and £882,118 on translation. The 1.26 million migrants now claiming Universal Credit might have something to do with that mega bill…
For that, you could:
The taxpayer may have a view on which should be prioritised. UK DOGE recommends costs are cut here…
Lucy Powell on LBC, asked by Tom Swarbrick for her reaction to Labour MP Samantha Niblett’s call for a ‘summer of sex’ debate in Parliament: “I personally don’t own any sex toys, but each to their own… I’m not really sure that’s the right place for it, no.”