Record five million Brits on out-of-work benefits as PM orders ministers to get figures down

A RECORD five million Brits on out-of-work benefits is a major drag on growth, the Cabinet was warned yesterday.

More than 5.2 million Brits are currently on incapacity benefits, jobseekers allowance or receiving workless Universal Credit payments.

That’s the equivalent of the population of all of Scotland – despite there being more than a million of job vacancies.

The PM ordered all his ministers to take part in a “cross-government effort” to reduce the number.

At Cabinet on Tuesday, Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride warned hiking labour market participation was “of the utmost importance for reducing inflation and growing the economy.”

He also urged colleagues to do more to get people back to work to ease mental health pressures on the NHS.

Mr Stride insisted the Government’s changes to the lifetime pension allowance and boosting of jobcentres and childcare could only go so far.

And he said ministers must “continue to look at more ways to remove barriers to work.”

Last night a senior government source said: “We are doing a lot to fix this but the Treasury and DWP know there is more to do and we await their plans.”