Welfare bill should be brought down by boosting employment – not cutting benefits, Labour told
A new report suggests that the UK's rising welfare bill could be reduced by addressing unemployment rather than implementing benefit cuts. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that achieving the government's employment target could save £10 billion in Universal Credit costs. The report emphasizes the importance of tackling root causes of economic insecurity, such as job creation and affordable housing.
- ▪The Joseph Rowntree Foundation's report argues against blunt benefit cuts as a solution to welfare spending.
- ▪It suggests that reducing unemployment could significantly lower the cost of Universal Credit.
- ▪Nearly 1 million young people in the UK are currently not in education, employment, or training, the highest number in over a decade.
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NewsUKUK PoliticsWelfare bill should be brought down by boosting employment – not cutting benefits, Labour toldThe universal credit bill could be cut by £10bn through tackling unemployment, researchers findAlbert Toth Tuesday 26 May 2026 14:25 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b2983583","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/labour-welfare-spending-benefit-cuts-jrf-milburn-b2983583.html","title":"Welfare bill should be reduced by boosting jobs – not cutting benefits, Labour told"}}Pat McFadden: 'Unnecessary'…
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