UK: Record 6.5M Claiming Jobless Benefits

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Above: A job centre logo sits on display outside an employment office in London, U.K., on July 24, 2020. Image copyright: Hollie Adams/Bloomberg/Getty Images

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The Spin

Left narrative

Britain's welfare bill is the result of a broken NHS and spiralling poverty rates. Critics paint recipients as scroungers, but those unable to work across the U.K. should not be fearful of their means to survive while politicians look for cheap political gains. Britain must invest more in vital social services if it is to get people back into work.

Guardian Canary

Right narrative

Britain's welfare dependency crisis is unsustainable. The wartime welfare state, once designed for a homogeneous society united by common purpose, now faces demographic fragmentation and fiscal collapse. Labour promised jobs but have only delivered great dependency on a government out of money. It is finally time to scrap this failed 80-year experiment.

Unherd X

Metaculus Prediction

Editor's Note

This story currently has limited coverage. We will continue to monitor all major outlets and update our reporting as additional information becomes available.