Labor was last night accused of delaying urgently needed reforms to heal ailing Britain.

Ministers are launching a drive to ‘put Britain back to work’ and meet an ‘ambitious’ target of putting an extra 2 million people into jobs.

But the white paper published today is focused solely on employment support, including a revamp of jobcentres as well as extra NHS appointments in unemployment hotspots.

An overhaul of the unemployment benefit system and a reduction in welfare spending will not take place for many months yet, with proposals not even published until next year.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said it will “bring forward measures to overhaul the health and disability benefits system” to “tackle the spiraling benefits bill” and a “consultation will be published in the spring”.

In addition, bosses will be asked to do more to recruit people with disabilities and health conditions – but only after a review which runs until next summer.

It comes despite ministers admitting the scale of the problem, with the Department for Working and Pensions (DWP) citing “strong figures” showing that almost 1.5 million people across the UK are unemployed, 9 million classified as ” economically inactive” and a record 2.8m are out of work as a result of long-term illness.

Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Helen Whately said: ‘This latest announcement shows that Labor is not prepared to make the tough but necessary choices to be allowed to cut benefits.

The government was accused of delaying much-needed welfare reforms as it unveiled plans focusing on employment support and jobcentre renewal (file photo)

Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Helen Whately said Labor had ‘avoided difficult decisions’ needed to bring the welfare bill down.

“There is no attempt to match the £12 billion in welfare savings we promised in our manifesto. They have even evaded the difficult decisions about sick pay, which are needed to make the welfare system sustainable in the long term.’

And John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘Taxpayers would be slow to forgive ministers if they fail to deliver on the promises they have made to crack down on the ballooning benefits bill.

“The proposals put forward so far look like a typical example of a government looking for gimmicks and quick fixes instead of making the necessary difficult decisions.

‘If Labor wants to solve this problem, they need to go further and faster and secure a comprehensive solution, not just apply another Band-Aid.’

But the government insisted the Get Britain Working white paper, to be published today, represents the biggest reform of employment support in a generation.

It marks Labour’s first major move to reach its target of an 80 per cent employment rate, up from 74.8 per cent currently, and is backed by £240m of public money.

To tackle huge levels of unemployment caused by ill health, 20 NHS trusts across England will be given ‘extra capacity’ to reduce waiting lists.

A further 8,500 staff will also be deployed to help people with mental health problems back to work.

A new national jobs and careers service will be created from existing jobcentres and careers advice to help people gain skills and progress and find them into work, with a “radically improved digital offering” promised, including “the latest technologies and AI” to provide up-to-date information.

People waiting at St Thomas Hospital. In addition, managers will be asked to do more to recruit people with disabilities and health conditions

Anyone aged between 18 and 21 in England will have access to an apprenticeship, training or help to find a job under a new ‘Youth Guarantee’, with big names including the Premier League and the Royal Shakespeare Company offering opportunities to young people.

Last night Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: ‘Our reforms put an end to the culture of blaming and shaming people who for too long have not been given the support they need to get back into work.

‘Helping people into decent, well-paid jobs and giving our children and young people the best start in life – that’s our plan to put more money in people’s pockets, unlock growth and make people better off.’

And Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said: ‘To get Britain growing, we need to get Britain back to work. We can build a healthier, wealthier nation – increasing employment and opportunity, skills and productivity – while driving down the benefits bill.’