Statistics Watchdog Criticises Kemi Badenoch Over Universal Credit

Kemi Badenoch has been rapped by the statistics watchdog over claims she made about the number of people claiming Universal Credit.

The Tory leader said the number of people out of work and receiving the benefit had risen by 1.5 million since Labour came to power in July, 2024.

Grilling Keir Starmer at prime minister’s questions on April 29, Badenoch said: “He has broken his promise to grow the economy; the only thing that has grown is the welfare bill.

“Can the prime minister tell us how many more people are out of work and claiming universal credit since he took office?

“The prime minister does not want to say how many more people are out of work and claiming universal credit since he took office; perhaps he does not know. Let me tell him: it is 1.5 million people.”

HuffPost UK can reveal that Penny Young, interim chair of the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA), wrote to Badenoch a week later criticising the way she presented the figures.

She pointed out that the increase in Universal Credit claimants was partly down to the policies of the last Tory government.

Young said: “While it is accurate to state that welfare spending has increased, we are concerned that the way the statistic was presented could lead to a misunderstanding.

“In particular, the statement may be interpreted as suggesting that the growth in Universal Credit caseloads began with, and is primarily attributable to, the policies of the current government.

“In practice, the increase in Universal Credit claims over the period you referred to is not solely the result of additional people entering the benefits system. A substantial proportion reflects the ongoing transfer of claimants from legacy benefits to Universal Credit.

“This process has been a longstanding policy and has been implemented at scale by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) since May 2022, predating the current administration.”

She said that 1.1 million of the 1.5 million figure used by Badenoch related to people “who were already out of work [and] moved across to Universal Credit from other benefits”.

“This is key context to the interpretation of the statistics,” the UKSA chair said.

“We recognise that the fast-paced nature of oral parliamentary debate can make it challenging to provide full statistical context.

“Nonetheless, given the influence of such statements on public understanding, it is important that statistics are presented in ways that are clear and transparent, and that minimise the risk of the public being misled.

“Omitting relevant context can inadvertently undermine trust in both statistics and those who use them, and may divert attention from more meaningful discussion of the underlying policy issues.

“We would ask you to be mindful of providing relevant context when presenting these statistics in future.”

Asked to comment, a spokesman for Badenoch replied with a “yawning” emoji.

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