We are abandoning the 200,000 men signed off work for life

Over the weekend, a shocking statistic has emerged that we simply should not ignore. Over 231,000 men under 30 are now on universal credit (UC) with no requirement to seek work . That is more than a third of all young male claimants. Step back, and the picture is starker: over 600,000 young men are on Universal Credit in total. Across all ages there are more than 3.6 million people signed off in the “no work requirement” category .

It is not right-wing to be concerned. This is not simply a concern about budgets – although we really cannot afford this without dramatically increasing tax revenues from those in work. This is not about “scroungers” or about “cruelty”. It is about the future of our society. What does it say to a generation of young men when the system effectively tells t