Labour leader will today tell voters that
“with Labour, those who can work, will work. I want more people
to work, to get on at work and to get the benefits bill down”.
Announcing Labour's Back to Work Plan with Shadow Work and
Pensions Secretary , Starmer will set out a series of reforms to
employment support and welfare benefits that a future Labour
government would get started on within weeks, if the party is
elected at the general election on 4 July.
The Labour leader will take direct aim at the cost of continuity
under the Conservatives, with spending on health and disability
benefits for working age adults set to rise by more than 50 per
cent over the next five years, without change.
Labour will target an increase in the employment rate from 75 per
cent to 80 per cent, which would be the highest in the G7 and
mean over two million more people in work across the UK.
Labour's Back to Work Plan:
As part of Labour's first step to economic stability for the
country, will commit to a major
programme of reform to support more people into work to bring the
benefits bill down, including:
- A new combined national jobs and careers service - bringing
together jobcentreplus and the careers service - to get
more people into work and to support those seeking better
opportunities with the means to find better paid work.
- New local plans for work, health and skills support
to get more people with health conditions and disabilities into
work, with devolved funding and leadership from Mayors and local
areas.
- A youth guarantee that will mean opportunities for training,
an apprenticeship or help to find work for all young people aged
18- 21 years old, to prevent young people becoming excluded from
the world of work at a young age.
At the end of his first full week of campaigning in the election,
where Labour has demonstrated how the party will deliver economic
credibility in government, the Labour leader will this weekend
focus on domestic reforms.
, Leader of the Labour Party,
said:
“With Labour, those who can work, will work.
“We want more people into work, to get on at work and to get the
benefits bill down. Under the Tories, there are too many people
who are not in work, who should be. Too many people stuck in jobs
with no promise of earning a better income. Young people who are
yet to experience work, at risk of falling off the radar. We
can't go on like this. It's time for change.
“The first step of my Labour government will be to create
economic stability, which means getting a grip of the spiralling
welfare bill that's gone out of control under the Tories.
“We will set about, within days of a future government, reforming
work support to get more people into work.”
, Labour's Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary,
said:
“Under the Tories, employment is falling, economic inactivity
is rising and the benefits bill is soaring. Millions
are stuck on lower pay, millions written off and nearly a million
young people not in employment education or training.
“The health of our nation is critical to the health of our
economy. They are two sides of the same coin.
“Labour will set to work on day one with our first steps to
expand opportunity to those who have been let down by the Tories.
This includes a youth guarantee that will mean training, an
apprenticeship or help to work for all 18- 21 year olds. New
local plans will be put in place, supported by Mayors across the
country, to get people from economic inactivity and into work.
And a national jobs and careers service to help people not only
get into work but get on at work.”
Ends
Notes:
- Spending on health and disability benefits for working age
adults is set to rise by over 50% over the next Parliament, from
£41.3 billion in 2022/23 to £68.5 billion in 2028/29[1].
