UK children in workless households hit 13-year high

The number of UK children living in households where no one has ever worked has reached 252,000, the highest level in 13 years, according to new Office for National Statistics figures. This follows the Labour government's scrapping of the two-child benefit cap in April. The figure rose by 30,000 since the start of the year and is 84,000 higher than a year ago, representing 1.9 percent of UK children. Conservative shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately criticized the DWP for making it "easier" to claim benefits, saying Labour has "killed jobs." Overall unemployment is expected to climb above 5 percent later this year, with payrolls dropping by 13,000 in July alone. Youth unemployment stands at 16.2 percent, affecting 739,000 people aged 16 to 24.