Overview

• On BBC Radio 4, the prime minister questioned whether funds should shift from benefits toward mental-health services, calling it a moral imperative.
• He highlighted concern about youth welfare dependence, citing around one million young people on benefits, with many linked to mental health conditions.
• Government figures show benefits spending has risen by about £20 billion since the pandemic and could grow by £70 billion by the decade’s end, with sickness and disability claimants potentially reaching 4.3 million by 2030.
• Ministers point to service expansion including 6,700 of 8,500 pledged mental health workers hired, NHS app self-referrals for talking therapies, and Treasury funding for 85 dedicated mental health emergency departments.
• Rethink Mental Illness cautioned that 1.8 million people are on waiting lists and said reducing payments without boosting treatment capacity and targeted employment support would be counterproductive.