The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is facing mounting pressure to halt Universal Credit payments for 4.2 million claimants as part of a major crackdown on welfare spending. New figures reveal that Universal Credit cases have surged to a record 8.3 million, an increase of 830,000 in just twelve months, up from 7.5 million in February 2025 to over 8 million in February 2026. This marks the highest number since the benefit was introduced in 2013.
Rise in Claimants Without Work Requirements
Data shows that only 3.1 million people on Universal Credit were in any form of employment in January 2026, representing just 37.8% of the total caseload. Of those working, 2.5 million were in standard PAYE employment, around 500,000 were self-employed, and only 100,000 were doing both. Alarmingly, half of all claimants—4.2 million—now fall into the “no work requirements” category, meaning they are not expected to seek employment.
Conservative Criticism
Shadow Welfare Secretary Helen Whately, a Conservative MP, criticised the Labour government, stating: “Labour is letting the welfare bill spiral out of control while fewer people are in work and millions more are being written off onto benefits.” She added: “The number of people on Universal Credit with no work requirements has surged by one million in a year alone because this government has been too distracted by internal chaos. Only the Conservatives have the team, plan and leader with the backbone to get a grip of welfare, restore fairness for taxpayers, and Get Britain Working Again.”
Government Response
The DWP and Labour Party remain under pressure to reduce the welfare bill, with calls to cut payments for those not in work. A DWP spokesperson defended the government’s actions: “Nearly 80% of the increase in Universal Credit cases since July 2024 is driven by people moving from legacy benefits – a transition started by the previous government. We inherited a broken welfare system and we’re fixing it. We’ve already rebalanced Universal Credit to tackle the perverse incentives that discourage work and redeployed 1,000 work coaches to support thousands of sick and disabled people who were previously left without contact for years.”
