The Conservative Party has unveiled a major welfare reform programme that would prevent many unemployed people under 25 from accessing universal credit, the primary out-of-work benefit in the UK. Instead, eligible young people would be directed into a new Get to Work scheme offering a conditional allowance designed to push them toward employment. The announcement was made ahead of the Conservative conference scheduled to take place in Birmingham from Sunday 4 October to Wednesday 7 October 2026.
Under the proposals, 18 to 24-year-olds attempting to claim universal credit who lack a continuous six-month work history would be required to participate in the Get to Work scheme. Those meeting the scheme's conditions would receive a Get to Work Allowance paid at the same rate as standard universal credit but requiring daily attendance at a job centre, on work experience or work readiness courses. The scheme itself would run for up to six months, with participants able to exit early if they secure employment, an apprenticeship, or a qualifying education or training opportunity.
The proposed scheme could include daily job-centre attendance, work-experience placements, training and interview-preparation workshops, according to reporting on the Conservative plans; participants completing it would receive a "Ready for Work Award". Young people with disabilities or caring responsibilities would be exempt from participation requirements. Participants would be assigned a manager and have to take part in job search workshops and interview preparation sessions.
If participants remain unemployed after six months, they would automatically transition to a new Subsistence Allowance valued at 70% of the current standard allowance—a reduction of 30%. This payment would be loaded onto a pre-paid card that restricts spending on alcohol, cigarettes and gambling. The Conservatives have not yet detailed how the separate proposed pre-paid "Back to Work" card would operate; shadow welfare secretary Helen Whately described it as a version of the Aspen card used for asylum seekers in government-funded accommodation.
Why is the party making this change?
The Conservatives frame the initiative as addressing a persistent social problem: approximately one million young people classified as Neets—not in employment, education or training. The party characterises the approach as "tough love" designed to break cycles of benefit dependency and encourage work participation.
Kemi Badenoch, announcing the plans, stated:
It's unfair to the people who get up and go to work, having others earn more than them for not working. Even families on benefits know that the system is out of control. But no one wants to be the one to get off the treadmill first. We need to force that. Government has to do that.
Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately added:
Too many young people are leaving school and signing straight onto benefits - this is a waste of their potential and a disaster for our economy.
The proposals exclude disability benefits and apply only to people assessed as capable of work. Young people who can demonstrate prior continuous employment of at least six months at 16 hours per week or more would be exempt from the scheme requirements. The party has also said it would examine whether parents' earnings and savings should be factored into welfare payments for their children, though young people without parental support, including those who are estranged, would continue to have a safety net.
What is Labour's response?
Labour has signalled a different approach to youth unemployment. According to reporting on the government's welfare plans, Labour said it was introducing a £3.5bn employment-support package and a national jobs guarantee for young people who have been on Universal Credit.
Chancellor John Healey told party activists at Labour's conference:
The best thing we can offer a young person is not a benefit payment - it's a first job with training and a wage.He said cutting welfare spending was a priority and announced that every mayor in England would have access to a Local Apprenticeships Service from March 2027 to generate thousands more youth opportunities. On Thursday, the Department for Work and Pensions said every small and medium-sized business hiring a young apprentice would get £2,000 from the government under a new scheme backed by the Federation of Small Businesses.
Former cabinet minister Alan Milburn has completed a final report from his inquiry into Neets, due for publication before the budget. He is also expected to propose measures imposing additional conditions on young people receiving out-of-work benefits, though his approach may emphasise incentives alongside requirements. Ministers are expected to adopt elements of his recommendations, though the specific details remain undisclosed.
What else is in the Conservative welfare package?
A separate Conservative proposal would reduce some Universal Credit payments by a third after six months. The party estimates this measure would affect approximately 350,000 people and generate annual savings of £538 million. Charities have raised concerns about the impact: the Trussell Trust warned that reducing support could make it harder for people to afford essentials such as rent, food and transport to interviews, calling the proposal "deeply misguided". Sara Ogilvie, director of policy at the Child Poverty Action Group, said:
Much better training and employment support is needed but blocking access to universal credit would not remove young people from jeopardy, it would dig the most disadvantaged deeper into hardship.
Under current Universal Credit requirements, people have to sign a "claimant commitment" to prepare for and look for work or increase their earnings if they are already working. The Conservatives claim their proposed rules would be stricter.
Key Facts
- The Get to Work scheme would apply to 18 to 24-year-olds without six months' continuous work history at 16 hours per week or more
- Participants would receive a Get to Work Allowance at the current universal credit rate but with mandatory daily job-centre attendance or participation in work readiness courses
- After six months, unemployed participants would see their benefit cut by 30% and receive payments on a restricted pre-paid card
- Young people with disabilities, caring responsibilities, or prior work experience would be exempt
- The proposals require legislative approval and would take effect only if the Conservatives return to government
