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Welfare facts and stats

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Here are the key stats on the increase of working aged benefits

The welfare bill

£151.6bnforecast by 2028-29

Spending on working aged benefits is forecast to be £151.6 billion by end of the parliament.

Welfare spending on working aged benefits (as measured by non-pensioner DWP benefit expenditure) in 2024-25 was £124.4 billion, it is forecast to increase to £151.6 billion by 2028-29, the end of the Parliament

DWP, Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2026: Outturn and forecast tables: Spring Forecast 2026, 14 April 2026

£18bnincrease under Labour

Spending on working aged benefits has increased by £18 billion under Labour.

Welfare spending on working aged benefits (as measured by non-pensioner DWP benefit expenditure) in 2024-25 was £124.4 billion, it is forecast to have increased to £142.2 billion in 2026-27 an increase of £17.8 billion

DWP, Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2026: Outturn and forecast tables: Spring Forecast 2026, 14 April 2026

£27bnhigher by the end of the parliament

Spending on working age benefits is forecast to be £27 billion higher by the end of the parliament compared to when Labour took office.

Welfare spending on working aged benefits (as measured by non-pensioner DWP benefit expenditure) in 2024-25 was £124.4 billion, it is forecast to increase to £151.6 billion by 2028-29. This will be an increase of £27.2 billion

DWP, Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2026: Outturn and forecast tables: Spring Forecast 2026, 14 April 2026

Personal Independence Payments

£45bnPIP spending by 2030-31

Spending on Personal Independence Payments is set to nearly double by 2030.

In 2024-25 spending on Personal Independence Payments was £26 billion. The OBR forecasts that this will reach £45 billion by 2030-31

OBR, Economic and fiscal outlook – March 2026, 3 March 2026

+50%more working age PIP claimants

The number of working age people claiming Personal Independence Payments is set to rise by 50 per cent by 2030.

In 2024-25 there were 3 million working age Personal Independence Payment claimants, by 2030-31 this is forecast to rise to 4.5 million, a 50 per cent increase.

DWP, Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2026: Outturn and forecast tables: Spring Forecast 2026, 14 April 2026

80%+of the PIP increase on working age

Over 80 per cent of the increase in Personal Independence Payments will be spent on those of working age.

According to OBR forecasts, £15.1 billion of the £18.7 billion increase in Personal Independence Payments will be spend on those of working age

OBR, Economic and fiscal outlook – March 2026, 3 March 2026

Unemployment

5.0%unemployment, a decade high

Unemployment under Labour has reached decade highs and stands at 5.0 per cent for those aged 16 to 64.

The unemployment rate for 16- to 64-year-olds was 5.0 per cent in May to July 2026. It was the highest since 2015, outside the pandemic, in November to January 2025

ONS, Labour Market Statistics, 15 September 2026

+120,000more young people unemployed

Youth unemployment has increased by 120,000 under Labour.

In July to September 2024 there were 631,000 young people aged 16 to 24 unemployed. The latest figures show 751,000 young people out of work an increase of 120,000

ONS, Labour Market Statistics, 15 September 2026

In their own words

Andy Burnham puts benefits over national security has said, ‘our national security, but it cannot come at the expense of social security.’

Hansard, Engagements, 9 September 2026

The Welfare Secretary, Pat McFadden, said that ‘every meeting I have is “who can we tax to pay benefits to others”’

Cabinet Office, Humble Address Documents – Volume II Part III, pp. 243, 1 June 2026

  • The Prime Minister has admitted that our national security cannot come at the expense of benefits, meanwhile we know all Labour MPs want to do is to raise taxes to fund benefits
  • Andy Burham needs to because spending on benefits is forecast to hit £150 billion by the end of the parliament and it has already increased by £18 billion under Labour.
  • Labour have made it harder to hire people and create jobs. The Labour Job Tax has created an unemployment crisis which has seen the unemployment rate increase to 5.0 per cent - a near ten year high, whilst over 100,000 more young people are out of work under Labour and a million Not in Education Employment or Training (NEET).
The Welfare Party

The Welfare Party
Benefits Street

Promoted by Sheridan Westlake on behalf of the Conservative Party, both of 1-2 Castle Lane, London SW1E 6DR
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