DWP boss says 'youth guarantee' will force young people off benefits

Young people have a “responsibility” to take up opportunities for work and will face sanctions if they do not do so, Liz Kendall said. “We will transform those opportunities for young people, we will put in place a youth guarantee so everyone has the chance to be earning or learning,” the Work and Pensions Secretary told the BBC ’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.

“But in return for those new opportunities, young people will have a responsibility to take them up. Let me tell you why, because if you lack basic skills in today’s world, that is brutal. If you are out of work when you’re young, that can have lifelong consequences in terms of your future job prospects and earnings potential.

“So, we, the Government, will face up to our responsibility, unlike the last government, of having that guarantee in place.”

She said young people she had spoken to said it was “better for their mental health” to be in work. Liz Kendall has said she believes there are people who can work but will not do so.

Speaking to BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, the Work and Pensions Secretary said: “I know from speaking with our job coaches that there are people who could work who aren’t, but I think they are in the minority.”

When asked what the Government would do to tackle this, Ms Kendall said: “We will bring forward our own reforms.”

Liz Kendall said some people have “self-diagnosed” mental health problems when asked about a rise in benefit claimants, but added there is a “genuine problem” with mental health in the UK.

The Work and Pensions Secretary was asked if she thought there were a million more people incapable of working than there were a few years ago, as figures show a rise in benefit claimants in recent years.

Ms Kendall said: “I think there are a combination of factors here. I do think we are seeing an increase in the number of people with mental health problems, both self-diagnosed – I think it’s good that stigma has been reduced – but also diagnosed by doctors.

“We’re also seeing more people in their 50s and above, often women, with bad knees, hips, joints. We’ve got a real problem with our health service.”

Asked whether she believed that “normal feelings” were being “overmedicalised”, Ms Kendall said: “I genuinely believe there’s not one simple thing. You know, the last government said people were too bluesy to work.

“I mean, I don’t know who they were speaking to. There is a genuine problem with mental health in this country.” Liz Kendall has said people who refuse to engage with the Government’s training or work programmes will lose benefits.

Speaking to Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips programme, she said: “If people repeatedly refuse to take up the training or work responsibilities, there will be sanctions on their benefits.

“The reason why we believe this so strongly is that we believe in our responsibility to provide those opportunities, which is what we will do.

“We will transform those opportunities but young people will be required to take them up.”