Revealed: How 1.4 million spent a decade on the dole under Labour

By James Chapman for the Daily Mail
Updated: 03:46 EST, 17 December 2010


The extent of long-term unemployment under Labour has been exposed by official figures showing that millions have languished on benefits for years.

An astonishing 1.4million people pocketed out-of-work payments for at least nine of the ten years between 1999 and 2009.

And more than half of the 10.7million who received one of the three main jobless payments during this period stayed on them for more than a year.

The figures suggest the rise of a ‘Shameless’ generation, for whom dependancy on the state passes down from parents to children.

Looking for work: Under the last government millions languished on benefits for years

Looking for work: Under the last government millions languished on benefits for years

Chris Grayling, Tory employment minister, said: ‘These figures underline the scale of the long-term unemployment challenge that the last Government left behind. It’s staggering that so many people were just left on benefits for so long without any serious attempt to get those that can work back into a job.

‘This is exactly why our welfare reforms are so important.’

Ministers are launching a new work programme to reduce long-term unemployment. Coming on stream next year, it will offer tailored support to those who have been on Jobseeker’s Allowance or incapacity benefit for many years.

In another initiative, private, public and voluntary organisations will be able to run back-to-work schemes and will be paid on results. The far-reaching welfare reforms will see benefit claimants who refuse to take jobs stripped of their handouts for as many as three years.

The coalition’s welfare package includes a sliding scale of mandatory penalties for the 1.6million on unemployment benefit.

Labour has accused the Government of launching a ‘nasty’ attack on the most vulnerable in society.

Other recent figures, apparently released to underline the case for welfare reform, show that almost 1.5million Britons have never done a day’s work in their lives.

Around 800,000 people aged between 25 and 64 have never had a job of any kind, and a further 600,000 under-25s are not in education or training.

The Office for National Statistics reported earlier this year that in one in five households – 4million homes – no one works at all.

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