Can the Prime Minister tell us how many more people are out of work and claiming Universal Credit since he took office? ... The number is 1.5 million.

The Universal Credit caseload did rise by roughly 1.5 million since July 2024, but the 'out of work' framing is misleading. The UK Statistics Authority formally corrected Badenoch, noting about 1.1 million of that 1.5 million were people already out of work who were simply migrated onto Universal Credit from legacy benefits under a managed-migration process that predates this government. The headline number is broadly right; the attribution is not.

▸ UK Statistics Authority — Letter from Penny Young to Kemi Badenoch MP – Universal Credit claimants ▸ DWP / GOV.UK — Universal Credit statistics, 29 April 2013 to 8 January 2026

Checked Wed 1 Jul, 09:53 · Broadcast: PMQs: Prime Minister's Questions - 29 April 2026

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