- Claimant count in Castle Point has risen by 95 since Labour took office in June 2024, reaching 1,350 in March 2026.
- Nationally, the claimant count stands at 1,722,830 – up from 1,640,155 at the time of the General Election.
- Only the Conservatives have a plan to Get Britain Working Again.
NEW figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the claimant count in Castle Point has risen by 95 since Labour came to power, rising from 1255 to 1350. This reflects a damaging national picture: across the UK, the claimant count has climbed from 1,640,155 at the time of the General Election to 1,722,830 in March 2026 – a direct consequence of Labour’s economic mismanagement.
Labour are too distracted by scandals of their own making to cut a benefits bill that is completely out of control. Labour are taxing work and rewarding inactivity, and working people are paying the price. Only the Conservatives are offering a serious alternative that backs work, rewards ambition, and gets Britain working again.
Dame Rebecca Harris MP said: “Labour promised to support working people. Instead, 95 more people are now on welfare in Castle Point.
“This is the real cost of Labour’s economic mismanagement, more and more people in Castle Point are out of work because Labour chose to hike taxes on businesses with their Budget for Benefits Street.
“Only the Conservatives have a leader with a backbone, the plan and the strong team to Get Britain Working Again.”
Helen Whately MP, Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, said: “Labour are too distracted by scandals of their own making to cut a benefits bill that is completely out of control. They are taxing work and rewarding inactivity, and working people are paying the price.
“The Employment Rights Act is already increasing costs and complexity for employers and risks choking off future job creation when we are already seeing young people struggling to find work.
“Conservatives will scrap the Jobs Tax, reform welfare, and restore the basic principle that work should always pay.”
