The Institute for Fiscal Studies said the figure soared by one million since 2019, now accounting for 4.2 million working-age people.
The IFS published its findings on Friday following Rishi Sunak’s speech on major proposals for welfare
If the pace slows but remains above the pre-pandemic norm the number of claimants is estimated at 5.4 million , while if rates returned to their pre-pandemic levels, the IFS said the figure would be around 4.4 million recipients. For more than two thirds of new 25-year-old claimants, mental health and behavioural disorders were their primary condition, the IFS said, but this was the case for only around a fifth of new 55-year-old claimants.
“The rising cost of these benefits, and what might be done in response, will be a pressing concern for the next government and make the already tough fiscal situation harder still. “Cutting or reducing access to benefits would lead to severe hardship for millions with additional needs and fail to address the underlying conditions we now face.”
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