Tories propose cutting benefits for under-25s unless they join daily work scheme

The Conservative Party unveiled a “tough love” welfare reform that would strip benefits from people aged 16 to 24 unless they sign up for a new Get to Work scheme, which mandates daily attendance at job centres and participation in work placements, training or community service. Those who remain unemployed after six months would receive a Subsistence Allowance equal to 70 % of their prior Universal Credit payment, while anyone who declines the scheme would lose all welfare support.

Advocates such as Jen Clark of Amnesty International UK, Helen Barnard of the Trussell Trust, and Sara Ogilvie of the Child Poverty Action Group condemned the plan as a punitive, tick-box approach that fails to address the structural barriers young people face in finding secure jobs. Data from the Department for Work and Pensions shows that young claimants are already disproportionately sanctioned, and charities warn the cuts could push more families into food-bank reliance.

The announcement precedes the party’s annual conference in Birmingham, where the issue of NEETs—now at a record one million—has been a focal point, and a final report from Alan Milburn’s review of the youth crisis is expected later this autumn. Critics call for dignified, targeted employment support rather than harsher sanctions.