Labour says unemployed youngsters who can work will HAVE to as there should be 'no option of a life on benefits'

• Liz Kendall will pledge investment in improving skills and mental health support

Labour will today warn unemployed youngsters there should be ‘no option of a life on benefits’ for those fit and able to work.

In a bid to toughen up Labour’s stance on welfare, shadow work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall will say that a future government would not allow young people to languish on the dole when they could be working.

Ms Kendall will pledge investment in improving skills and mental health support, along with a new army of employment advisers to help get young people into work.

But, in return, she will demand that those able to work look for a job.

‘This is our commitment to young people,’ she will say. ‘We value you. You are important. We will invest in you and help you build a better future with all the chances and choices this brings.

In a bid to toughen up Labour’s stance on welfare, shadow work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall (pictured) will say that a future government would not allow young people to languish on the dole when they could be working

Today’s speech comes as new figures reveal that more than 850,000 young people aged 16-24 are not in education, employment or training – an increase of 20,000 in a year (stock image)

‘But in return for these new opportunities, you will have a responsibility to take up the work or training that’s on offer. Under our changed Labour party, if you can work there will be no option of a life on benefits.’

She will warn that ‘being unemployed or lacking basic qualifications when you’re young can harm your job prospects and wages for the rest of your life’.

Today’s speech comes as new figures reveal that more than 850,000 young people aged 16-24 are not in education, employment or training – an increase of 20,000 in a year.

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Separate figures released by the Liberal Democrats reveal that the soaring number of people on long-term sickness benefits is costing the government £3 billion a year.

The research, compiled by the House of Commons library, reveals that the figure has risen by 625,000 since 2019.

The study found that each person out of work because of sickness results in an average loss of £5,200 a year in tax revenue.

Ms Kendall’s intervention is designed to address criticism that Labour has been soft on welfare for years.

Labour previously pledged to end ‘punitive sanctions’ against benefit claimants who fail to look for work.

This led Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride to brand the party a ‘soft touch’ on the issue.

In a further sign that Labour is keen to shed its image as a tax and spend party, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves yesterday she was ‘very happy’ for companies and individuals to make money.

She told the Sun on Sunday: ‘I am relaxed about people being rich. But what I don’t want to do is pull the ladder up.’

Ms Reeves also insisted that she wanted taxes for working people ‘to be lower’.

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