Kendall says in welfare announcement that those who can work should work

“People who can work should work,” Liz Kendall said as she overhauled the benefits system aimed at getting people suffering from long-term illness back to work.

The sickness and disability benefits bill will “rise by £26bn by the end of this Parliament”, the Work and Pensions Secretary warned as he unveiled the plans in the House of Commons.

He claimed the Conservatives had failed to “create good jobs up and down the country, deliver the NHS and deliver welfare reform properly”.

Speaking in the House of Commons, the Cabinet minister added: “But under our Government this will change and new opportunities will be matched by the responsibility to seize them. Because if you can work under this Labor government you should.”

The government’s “Get Britain Working Again” plan, published on Tuesday, aims primarily to get some of the 2.8 million people out of work due to long-term illness back into the workplace.

Long-term illness has become a major cause of unemployment since the pandemic, rising to nearly 2 million in 2019.

As part of the plans, the 20 places with the highest unemployment in England will receive more NHS staff to help cut waiting lists.

Extra mental health support will also be offered to guide people with mental illness into work, and job centers will be replaced by a new National Jobs and Careers Service.

The Work and Pensions Secretary said a “radically improved digital offer” to be trialled in some job centers would help improve the efficiency of services.

He added that video and phone support for job seekers will provide “a job hub in your pocket.”

Meanwhile, young people will be offered a “guarantee” of help finding an apprenticeship, training or employment.

Ms Kendall told the House of Commons that this determination showed the Government valued young people.

He added: “You are important. We will invest in you and provide you with the chances and options you deserve.

“But in return for these new opportunities, you have a responsibility to seize them, because being unemployed or lacking basic qualifications when you’re young can damage your job prospects and wages for the rest of your life, and that’s not good enough.” “For young people or for our country.”

During the election, Labor promised to increase the employment rate to 80 per cent from its current level of 75 per cent; This meant nearly two million more people were at work.

Ms Kendall did not set a date for that target when setting out her plans, but said ministers were “taking the first steps towards achieving our bold target of an 80% employment rate”.

Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately accused Labor of “dodging tough decisions” and pressed Ms Kendall on why she had not announced her plan to tighten sickness benefits.

“Where are the reforms that will fit into the notes that we delivered completely ready? Where is the plan to reform workplace talent assessment? “The senior Tory banked £3bn from our scheme but couldn’t determine his own savings,” he said.

At the budget hearing, Chancellor Rachel Reeves suggested the Government would deliver on the Conservative Party’s commitment to reform the work capacity assessment that determines whether someone with a health condition or disability is fit to work.

The Conservatives in power had claimed testing reforms would save £3bn.

Downing Street stated that these plans will be published separately in the spring to avoid rushing, describing the work capacity assessment as “clearly a really complex area” and saying that if it were changed, it would “affect millions of people”.

The Solution Foundation think tank said welfare reforms could improve living standards but warned the plan “needs appropriate funding to really make a difference”.

“For example, it is not yet clear how the Government will ensure there are sufficient employment, training and apprenticeship opportunities to provide a ‘job guarantee’ for young people,” said Greg Thwaites, research director at the think tank.

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has called on the Government to “connect the dots” between its decision to increase national insurance contributions for employers in the budget, which it warns will increase employment costs, and ministers’ hopes of getting people back to work.

CBI Director of Work and Skills Matthew Percival said the Government “deserves praise” for trying to tackle the “critical challenge” of long-term illnesses preventing people from returning to work.

He added: “The government can make it easier for businesses to invest in employee health by taking a pragmatic approach to the Employment Rights Bill and extending tax-free occupational health support.

“CBI analysis shows 49% of businesses would reinvest tax savings into more employee health support, while 26% would invest more.”