Universal Credit claims hit record 8.3 million as Labour faces growing welfare crisis

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Universal Credit claims hit record 8.3 million as Labour faces growing welfare crisis.

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The number of people claiming Universal Credit has climbed to a record 8.3 million, dealing a major blow to Labour's efforts to reduce welfare dependency and increase employment across Britain.Total caseload rose by 830,000 over the past year, increasing from 7.5 million in February 2025 to more than eight million by February 2026, new Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) figures show.The latest total represents the highest number of Universal Credit claimants since the welfare system was introduced in 2013, and also revealed a declining proportion of recipients currently in employment.In January 2026, around 3.1 million Universal Credit claimants were in some form of work, accounting for 37.8 per cent of the total caseload.

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TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say This marked a fall from the previous year, when 3.2 million claimants were employed, representing 43.3 per cent of all recipients.A growing number of claimants are now categorised as having "no work requirements", meaning they...

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