Damning stats lay bare the scale of Britain’s youth benefits crisis in the government’s own backyard

Comment now Next AROUND one in five youngsters living in the constituencies of Labour Cabinet ministers are on out-of-work benefits, bombshell figures show. It soars to over a quarter in the seats of Justice Secretary Alex Norris, Women’s Minister Bridget Phillipson and Welsh Secretary Stephen Kinnock. Chancellor John Healey is among the Cabinet ministers with a large number of NEETs in his constituency Credit: PA Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden has 1,782 young people aged 20-24 signed on in his Wolverhampton seat or 24 per cent. Advertisement And Chancellor John Healey has 1,022 in his backyard or 22.1 per cent. Sign up for the Politics newsletter Thank you! Email address Please provide a valid email. Your info will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy You'll now receive top stories, breaking news, and more, straight to your email. The analysis by the Conservative Party lays bare the true scale of the youth unemployment crisis across the country. They are calling for a cut to employer National Insurance urgently to boost youth jobs and get people off welfare. Helen Whately , Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, said Labour had led Britain into a “youth jobs emergency”. She added: “Their tax raids and red tape have destroyed jobs. Every day, the number of young people out of work grows – with taxpayers forced to foot the bill. “We cannot allow an entire generation to grow up with no experience of work, consigned to a lifetime on benefits.” Most read in The Sun FEELING LUCKY? Lotto results LIVE: National Lottery numbers tonight, October 17, 2026 COP SHOCK Police officer who fantasised about rape & watched porn on duty is sacked VAPING BAD Louts who vape on buses to get £100 fines in anti-social behaviour crackdown Helen Whatley, UK shadow work and pensions secretary, on day three of the UK Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham….Pic by Simon Jones Credit: Simon Jones Advertisement Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s Birmingham seat has over 3,000 youngsters on out-of-work benefits, over 13 per cent. In Defence Secretary Wes Streeting’s London seat the number has grown by almost a fifth under this government to 925. Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s Makerfield constituency has 840 youngsters on out-of-work benefits, Tories say. That is around one in six and an increase of nearly 10 per cent since Labour took power. In Blackpool South 30.5 per cent of youngsters are claiming benefits and in East Thanet it is 28.9 per cent. Advertisement In 40 constituencies the number of 20–24 year olds claiming has risen by over 20 per cent since Labour won the election including Woking, Edinburgh West and Mid Bedfordshire. The Tories warned the Budget later this month will hike taxes even more on businesses instead of reforming welfare. They said when leader Kemi Badenoch visited a beauty salon this week the owner broke down in tears because she had been forced to dip into her pension to keep young staff in a job. RECOMMENDED STORIES A Labour Party spokesperson said: “The Tories have some brass neck. The number of young people not in work, education or training rocketed by around a quarter of a million in their fading years in office, and they did nothing about it. “This Labour government is investing £2.5 billion to get more young people into jobs or training, we’re working with businesses to extend work opportunities, and we’re building a system that supports youths not just to find a job, but to build a better future. More reform will follow Alan Milburn’s review.” Advertisement HELEN WHATELY: We can't let a generation languish on benefits without a job We used to be proud of our record getting young people into work here in the UK, but under Labour we have hurtled backwards. Unemployment among 21-24 year olds is now higher in London than in the whole of Bulgaria. The joint poorest country in the EU alongside Greece. Look around Labour’s Cabinet table. One in five young people aged 20-24 in their constituencies is parked on out-of-work benefits. In Bridget Philipson’s constituency, it’s one in four. Phillipson was Education Secretary. Her job was to make sure young people left school ready for work. In Shabana Mahmood’s seat more than 3,000 youngsters are on out-of-work benefits. And in Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s own backyard, one in six young people are claiming. That’s up nearly 10 per cent since Labour took control. It’s up by 20% in forty other constituencies. These young people wake up each day with nothing to do and nowhere to go. Tens of thousands in the Cabinet’s own constituencies. You would think they’d be desperate to fix this. Instead they are dragging their feet – delaying their big review of NEETs until after the Budget. Sadly, none of this is a surprise. Labour’s Jobs Tax, their business rates raid and their job-killing Employment Rights Act have made it riskier and more expensive to hire a young person. So there are thousands fewer jobs. And nearly 200,000 more young people unemployed. Meanwhile, Labour ignore the ballooning welfare bill – along with the thousands of young people who leave school, and even university, to go straight onto benefits. In my grandparents’ day, 17-year-olds lied about their age to sign up and fight for their country. Today, many are signing onto benefits the day they turn eighteen. We cannot let a whole generation grow up never having had a job. And with an ageing population and young people leaving for Dubai and Australia, we cannot afford thousands of youngsters taking out instead of paying in. This is an emergency, and it needs an emergency plan. That’s why we’re demanding action in this month’s Budget. First, back the businesses that create jobs. Halve the National Insurance employers pay when they hire young people. Cut the red tape that stops them offering summer jobs and weekend shifts. Scrap business rates for most high street shops. Second, we need some tough love back in our benefits system. Any young person who wants to claim benefits instead of getting a job must turn up from day one to a Get to Work scheme. No show, no welfare. That’s the Conservatives’ plan to make young people want to get off benefits and into work, and to back business to make it easier to hire young people. Labour could do all this at the Budget – but I would not hold your breath. They see businesses as cash cows and, according to the Welfare Secretary, all they want to do is tax more people to pay for more benefits. Comment now