The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is facing calls to reintroduce face-to-face assessments for Universal Credit claimants, after new figures showed the number of people on the benefit has reached a record high of 8.4 million. Of these, 4.3 million are recorded as out of work, according to the latest caseload statistics released today.
Record claimant numbers despite government pledge
The rise of 700,000 from the same time last year comes despite the Labour government's pledge to “get Brits working”. The DWP confirmed that just 3.1 million claimants are in employment, representing 37.7% of all Universal Credit recipients. This marks a decline from April 2025, when 3.2 million claimants were in work, equating to 41.9% of the total.
The DWP said: “There were 8.4 million people on Universal Credit in May 2026 which is the highest number on record. This is up from 7.7 million people on Universal Credit in May 2025, and a small increase from last quarter where, in February 2026, there were 8.3 million people on Universal Credit.”
Critics demand tougher assessments
The figures also show that 4.3 million people on Universal Credit are in the ‘no work requirements’ conditionality regime, and it is these claimants that critics want the DWP to crack down on. One recommendation from Reform UK has been to restore “proper” face-to-face assessments.
Reform UK chairman Lee Anderson MP said: “These figures are utter absurdity and show a welfare system spinning out of control. Millions are now parked on incapacity benefits, with a growing number effectively written off from work altogether. Of course we must protect those who are genuinely sick and vulnerable, but this surge, driven largely by mental health claims, raises serious questions about how people are being assessed. Reform UK would end automatic write-offs, restore proper face-to-face assessments, and get Britain working again.”
Conservative and Labour responses
Helen Whately, the shadow work and pensions secretary, also criticised Labour’s “failure to get a grip on benefits.” The Conservative MP said: “Labour came into Government with no plans to reform welfare, so it’s no surprise they’ve made no progress. Conservatives do have a plan to fix welfare – stop sickness benefits for low-level mental health problems, bring back face-to-face assessments and stop paying out benefits to people who aren’t British. And we’ll back businesses to create jobs by cutting business taxes and red tape. Rather than Labour’s doom loop of high taxes, lower growth and ever higher government spending, Conservatives under Kemi Badenoch are committed to living within our means, backing businesses and getting Britain working.”
The Labour government has defended its approach previously, saying: “We’re investing £3.5billion to help disabled people and those with long-term conditions into work, giving disabled people the right to try work without risking their benefits, and reforming Universal Credit to remove perverse incentives that keep people on benefits.”
The stats show there were 3.1 million people on Universal Credit in any employment in April 2026, which was 37.7% of all people on Universal Credit. Comparatively, in April 2025 there were 3.2 million people on Universal Credit in any employment, which was 41.9% of all people on Universal Credit. There were, on average, 40,000 claims per week in May 2026, lower than the 52,000 claims per week seen in May 2025, and lower than the 45,000 seen last quarter in February 2026.
