Young people should not be excused from work because of minor mental health conditions, the shadow work and pensions secretary has told the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham.
Helen Whately said she had heard of university students being advised to sign on for benefits after graduating, warning that welfare risked becoming a “lifestyle choice” rather than a safety net.
Speaking at a Centre for Policy Studies fringe event, Ms Whately said some people had “become accustomed generation after generation now to living a life on benefits”. She said a Conservative government would not simply accept people “sitting at home” while claiming support.
She acknowledged the difficulties faced by young people, including those affected by the Covid pandemic, mental health problems and neurodiversity. But she added: “That’s not a reason not to work.”
“We are going to make reform to our welfare system to make sure that you are better off in work than on welfare,” she said.
Plans to restrict access to Universal Credit
Ms Whately said more young people were leaving school or university and moving directly on to benefits, with limited contact with jobcentres and little pressure to find work.
She said employers had told her that it became difficult to recruit young people after they had spent months out of education, employment or training while receiving benefits.
“I’ve heard about students being told at university: ‘You need to get ready to sign on to benefits. That’s the thing to do because it’s going to be hard to get a job,’” she said. “And that is not a good way to start your adult working life.”
Research by the Centre for Social Justice found that 707,000 graduates aged between 16 and 64 were out of work and claiming one or more benefits in 2024. The figure was more than 200,000 higher than in 2019.
About 400,000 were claiming Universal Credit, while almost 240,000 said they were unable to work because of sickness, according to the think tank’s analysis of official figures.
Under Conservative proposals unveiled last week, school leavers would be prevented from moving straight on to Universal Credit and would instead undergo intensive work coaching. This could involve daily jobcentre attendance, work experience, interview preparation and support with job applications.
Those who failed to find or accept work after six months would be moved on to a new Subsistence Allowance worth 70 per cent of the basic Universal Credit rate. Payments would be made on a card that could not be used to buy alcohol, tobacco or fund gambling.
Ms Whately said young people would be expected to attend support sessions and would lose access to benefits if they failed to turn up.
“The system needs to be fair to the taxpayer, we’ve got to make sure that work always pays,” she said. “Welfare has to be a safety net, not a lifestyle choice.”
