Number on Universal Credit for health or disability up by half a million in year
Of the 2.5 million total last year, 10% were under 25 years old.
The number of claimants on Universal Credit (UC) with a health condition or disability restricting their ability to work rose by half a million in a year, the latest figures show.
The official statistics showing 2.5 million people were on UC for that reason by the end of last year come amid rumours of welfare cuts as the Government seeks to slash the benefits bill.
The latest figure for claimants across Great Britain as of December 2024, was up from two million the previous year.
Just over half (54%) of claimants were female.
Of the overall total, 14% – some 336,000 – were deemed to have acceptable medical evidence of a restricted ability to work.
Some 15% (366,000) were assessed as having limited capability for work (LCW), and 1.8 million (71%) were assessed as having limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA).
The North East had the highest proportion in England of UC health cases relative to overall UC claimants, at almost four in 10 (39%).
This was followed by the South West and North West (both 36%), while the lowest was London (27%).
At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Sir Keir Starmer faced a backlash over the rumoured welfare cuts, with one Labour MP pleading with him to make the “moral” choice.
Richard Burgon told the Commons that disabled people are “frightened” as he urged Sir Keir to introduce a wealth tax instead of “making the poor and vulnerable pay”.
Sir Keir pledged to “protect those who need protecting”, but later added there is no “bottomless pit”.
The PM blamed the Conservatives for having “left a broken welfare system, which locks millions out of work, that is indefensible, in my view, economically and morally”.
He added: “Of course, we need to support people who need support, we need to help those who want to work to get back into work, and I think there’s a moral imperative in that.”
But he added: “This isn’t a bottomless pit, and we must kick-start growth to get the economic stability that we need.”
