The Government has been accused of ‘handing out taxpayers’ money’ with ‘no evidence of why it is being paid’.
Labour have been accused of ‘handing out taxpayers’ money’ with no evidence of why it’s being paid (Image: Getty)
The Labour Government handed out around £770million to benefit claimants with no recorded health problems in 2025, according to reports. The payments were made through sickness benefit top-ups to Universal Credit payments for “unknown” conditions, with around 151,850 Brits benefiting, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the Conservative Party revealed.
The majority of claims were filed on paper rather than in person, meaning conditions weren’t centrally recorded, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said. Officials said they had sufficient evidence to justify the top-ups despite many claimants whose conditions are “unknown” not having a medical diagnosis, The Telegraph reports. But Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Helen Whately accused the Government of “handing out taxpayers’ money” with “no diagnosis on file and no evidence of why the benefit is being paid”.
Helen Whately accused Labour of having ‘no grip on welfare spending’ (Image: Getty)
She added: “Labour has no grip on welfare spending. Keir Starmer is too weak to face down Labour MPs. Last year, they tried to make savings but ended up spending more. The benefits bill is out of control.”
Claimants received £423.27 for the sickness top-up, also known as the Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) Substantial Risk, last year, meaning those with no recorded condition received a collective £ 771.3 million.
Official DWP guidance for the “substantial risk” category states that it applies primarily to mental health conditions, extending to physical issues only in “uncommon” cases.
While LCWRA claims are meant to be reassessed every six months to three years, significant backlogs mean many reviews are delayed, with new claims prioritised over existing ones.
A DWP spokesperson said: “No one can claim without the impact of their condition being assessed.
“Where there is sufficient evidence that a person’s condition severely affects their daily life, their eligibility for benefits can be confirmed through a paper-based assessment alone. This is recorded on the paperwork but marked as ‘unknown’ in the data.
“Everyone in this group has been properly assessed and found to need support. We have a robust process in place and thoroughly assess benefit claimants to ensure people can access the support they are entitled to, looking at the impact of a person’s condition on their daily living.”
