Multiple reports claim that under Keir Starmer’s first year in office, the number of people receiving sickness-related welfare “handouts” increases by about 300,000. The same coverage says that the number of welfare assessments conducted face-to-face has been cut by half under Labour. The articles present these figures as part of a broader shift in how sickness support is administered, pointing to fewer in-person assessments alongside a higher count of recipients.
The sources provided do not detail the specific programmes counted as “sick handouts,” the geographic scope, the time periods used for comparison, or the methodology behind the assessment figures. They also do not include responses from the government or other explanations for the change in recipient numbers, such as demand trends, eligibility criteria, or administrative processing changes.
Overall, the shared claims are quantitative: a reported increase in sickness-related welfare recipients during Starmer’s first year and a reported reduction in the share of welfare assessments done in person.
