LIZ Kendall today tells Brits “if you can work – you must” as she prepares to take benefits away from young adults who refuse jobs and training.
Britain spends an eye-popping £150 billion a year on benefits for people of working age, according to official numbers.
And the bill is set to balloon as record numbers are signed off sick.
Work and Pensions Secretary Ms Kendall vowed to crack the whip to get people off benefits, telling The Sun on Sunday: “I’ve always believed, if you can work, you must.
“For young people, this is not only about the opportunity to work, it’s also about skills and training, because today’s world is brutal if you don’t have skills.”
Shocking stats show nearly 1 million under-25s are not in education, employment or training – dubbed NEETs.
“That is terrible for them, it’s terrible for businesses, many of whom are desperate to recruit, and it’s terrible for taxpayers seeing an ever higher benefits bill”, Ms Kendall said.
She will this week announce plans for a radical shake up of the welfare system aimed at driving people back to work.
She will offer every Brit aged 21 and under, work or training.
Those who refuse will be stripped of their handouts.
Ms Kendall said: “My commitment to young people is this – I value you. I believe in you. I will offer you the chances and choices you deserve.
“But in return for that, you have a responsibility to take them up.”
This ‘youth guarantee’ is part of a new carrot and stick approach to welfare.
These are tougher sanctions than those faced by other adults, who just have their benefits reduced if they refuse to look for work.
Ministers are braced for a possible backlash from faint-hearted Labour MPs.
But Ms Kendall said it would be a betrayal to leave youngsters on the jobs scrapheap.
The welfare white paper – out on Tuesday – will also confirm that £3bn a year will be cut from welfare by reassessing people in disability and sickness benefits for work.
This is known as the work capability assessment. Although precise details of how this will be done will come out next year.
Job centres will also get more cash to turn them into better careers advice services – open to those who want to change jobs not just benefit claimants.
