Of those, 2.8 million receive long-term sickness payments or related welfare, according to the government, which expects the number to grow to more than four million if nothing is done. The government spent £65 billion on sickness payments last year. But the government insists there is also a strong moral case for helping people off welfare and into the work force. “Many sick and disabled people want to work with the right support,” Ms. Kendall told lawmakers, citing a litany of failings that she said the government had inherited from the previous Conservative government. “One in 10 people of working age now claiming a sickness or disability benefit; almost one million young people not in education, employment or training.

Source: The Times March 19, 2025 11:06 UTC