CCHQ launches attack ad in marginal constituencies contrasting "hardworking families" with "people who don't work"

By Matthew Barrett
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After PMQs on Wednesday, Labour launched a campaign, the price of Tory failure, which attacks the Government's welfare policies. The idea is to target 60 marginal Tory seats where the number of families receiving in-work tax credits is greater than the MP's majority.

CCHQ have responded with a hard-hitting campaign in the same 60 seats. In targeted online media, banner ads contrasting "hardworking families" and "people who don't work", illustrated by a man sitting at home on his sofa, will be displayed on local media websites. This echoes one of the most successful policies of the Coalition - the welfare cap.

The first ad can be seen here, and the second ad (pictured right) here. The ads lead to a survey on the Conservative website - "Who do you think the government should be giving help to?".

Grant Shapps has often spoken about his use of surveys and petitions to drive up Conservative support in his Welwyn Hatfield constituency. Now as the Chairman of the Conservative Party, Shapps is using the same method to collect email addresses, communicate with respondents, and spread the Conservative message.

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Chris Grayling announces London-wide scheme to end something-for-nothing benefits culture

By Matthew Barrett
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Welfare reform is one of the Government's favourite rallying calls, and rightly so. There is a basic sense of justice and fair play that causes most Britons to feel repulsed by the situation Labour allowed to come about, in which an out of work household could claim benefits greater than the average wage (£26,000) for households who do work. 

Another part of the benefits system which many people consider unjust is the principle of allowing people to claim from the welfare system without ever having contributed to the state. 

One right-minded Minister who has consistently stood up for taxpayers and attacked these unfair and outdated welfare policies, despite plenty of left-wing attacks, is Chris Grayling. Mr Grayling has written an article for the Evening Standard today, announcing a rather exciting London-wide trial scheme - which he will launch with Boris Johnson: 

"Later this year we will begin a scheme where we will ask young Londoners signing on for the first time to do three months of full time community work in return for their benefits. As part of the scheme, they will also receive support in looking for jobs and getting themselves ready for the world of work. Every young person who has done less than six months previous work will be asked to take part – and if they refuse they will not be able to claim benefits."

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Is the real clash of interests in British politics between older and younger voters?

By Paul Goodman
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David Cameron's proposed reforms to housing benefit are partly about increasing opportunity and party about saving money.

Oh, and differentiating his party from the Liberal Democrats.  Which is a reminder that it's possible that none of his plans may be effected, since we don't know what parts of them Nick Clegg's party would agree to in this Parliament, if any, and there's no guarantee of a Conservative Government in the next one.

On increasing opportunity, I think that the Prime Minister is right.  Drawing housing benefit and being workless at 18 isn't a likely route to improvement and prosperity.  However, I would like to see the detail (of which there may not much, given Mr Cameron's working timescale).  He says that his proposals "would not apply to victims of domestic violence".  What about others who can't live with their parents - for example, the 60,000 or so children in care?  And if living with one's parents is our working presumption - because renting let alone buying for many younger people is unaffordable - how does this square with labour market mobility?

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Chris Grayling announces new action against health and safety burdens... but extra paternity rights are coming

By Tim Montgomerie
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Chris Grayling launches a renewed effort to tackle Britain's Health and Safety culture today. In remarks to business leaders he will stress the importance of making Britain more competitive:

"We have a simple and straightforward choice. If we want people to have jobs, we have to recognise just how different and competitive the world has become. And that means we have to change in response. We need lower taxes and less red tape for business, or jobs will go elsewhere. That’s why we are cutting health and safety bureaucracy. We're making good progress and I am determined to cut the number of health and safety regulations in half. Of course we have to protect people against death and serious injury in the workplace, and we won't do anything to risk this, but if we stifle their employers with unneeded rules and regulations those people won’t have a job in the first place."

The Employment Minister will announce new guidance that will "help prevent businesses being duped into carrying out unnecessary electrical safety tests". The savings to UK plc could be £30 million. A Government press release stated other 'elf'n'safety improvements undertaken by the government. They include:

• Exempting a million self-employed people from health and safety rules altogether;
• Cutting the number of health and safety inspections by a third, and exempting low risk premises from routine inspection;
• Establishing a register of qualified health and safety consultants, to stamp out unqualified cowboy advisers who give the wrong guidance to companies;
• Establishing Myth Busting panels for both the public and for businesses to give them an easy way of challenging daft decisions;
• Reducing requirements for businesses to report minor accidents;
• Putting in place tight new rules for personal injury claims, to stop no win no fee lawyers making large amounts of money from relatively small workplace claims;
• Rewriting and simplifying all existing health and safety guidance and cutting the total number of regulations in half.

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Today's Boris interview in the Sun is a reminder of how effective his campaigning is

By Joseph Willits 
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After yesterday's YouGov poll which placed Boris Johnson two points behind Ken Livingstone in the race to become London's Mayor, a timely interview today in the Sun demonstrates Boris' ability yet again to draw on the national interest in jobs and immigration, and develop a balanced message for his electoral campaign.

Whilst Government figures have revealed that 370,000 migrants are claiming benefits in the UK, and unemployment has hit a seventeen year high of 2.68 million, it would seem an obvious, not to mention populist choice, for Johnson to claim that immigration has failed and is damaging the jobs market for young Brits.

Instead, Boris chose to focus his attention on the lack of "energy and appetite" among young people in the UK to go out to work. Johnson said that he did not "want to stigmatise young people because many of them do have the aptitude. But we need to face up to these issues". At the same time, he cited the increasingly popular analogy of Pret A Manger and work ethic from their foreign staff:

"Look at Pret a Manger. If you've been to one recently, how many native Londoners served you? What's going on? London is a fantastic creator of jobs — but many of these jobs are going to people who don't originate in this country. They are hard-working, good people, and we need to learn from them and understand what it is that they have got that makes them able to get those jobs that young Londoners don't have."

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As unemployment rises, Chris Grayling says: Britain can't escape world economic turbulence

By Matthew Barrett
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Chris Grayling has done the media rounds this morning, reacting to news about unemployment - the figures for which showed that the number out of work rose by 114,000 between June and August to 2.57m, and that youth unemployment rose by 74,000 to 991,000 - a record high.

Grayling told John Humphrys on the Today programme that the government is very concerned about youth unemployment, and announced a new scheme on the programme: 

"For example, for young people today we are launching out new sector-based work academies, part of a programme that will offer 350,000 places for young people to get support back into the workplace over the next two years. All the people I talk to express concern about youth unemployment and we want to see young people getting into the workplace as soon as possible. We have created 100,000 new apprenticeships since the elections. The combination of our work experience programme and the sector-based work academies... it’s all designed to give people under 24 who have not been in employment the chance to take that first step into the workplace, to show an employer what they can do and hopefully then move on into an apprenticeship."

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IDS says any tax cuts should be aimed at the poor

By Paul Goodman
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Poorer people should be the priority for any tax cuts the Coalition Government makes, Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, said yesterday evening.

He also indicated that Britain could seek a retrospective treaty change in the battle over European Commission demands over foreign benefit claimants.

Speaking at a conference fringe meeting held by ConservativeHome, Duncan Smith also said that the riots showed that there is a "growing underclass" in Britain.

He hopes to announce a major childcare package "in about a week's time" and said that he has taken "personal charge" of implementing Universal Credit.

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Chris Grayling says new unemployment figures "will reinvigorate our determination" to get the economy going again

By Matthew Barrett
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Unemployment figures released this morning were negative for the government. The figures show that for May through to July 2011, unemployment increased by 80,000 - bringing the total up to 2.51m.

Chris Grayling, the Minister of State at the Department for Work and Pensions with responsibility for employment, told the BBC News channel that the figures demonstrate the hard task the government faces, but that the government will have its determination to deal with the problem "reinvigorated":

"It underlines the nature of the challenge we face, and I think will reinvigorate our determination to take steps that will get the economy growing, to support business and try and create an environment where the private sector can continue to grow the number of people it employs. It is in fact still growing - the number of jobs in the private sector - we have to give them even more support to do more."

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Tests by the Department for Work and Pensions find many claiming sickness benefits are fit to work

By Matthew Barrett
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Iain Duncan Smith's Department for Work and Pensions has released figures today showing claimants of Employment Support Allowance (ESA) - which is to replace Incapacity Benefit - are, in many cases, fit to work.

The new ESA benefit requires a test to see if claimants are able to undertake work. Figures from the Department showed that of those who took the test, 75% could work. More detailed figures show:

• One in 14 applicants is unable to do any work in the long-term
• 39% were “fit for work” and moved on to job-seekers’ allowance
• 17% were awarded ESA but classified as able to work in the longer-term
• 7% were deemed incapable of any work
• However, 36% of claims were closed before the assessment stage and 1% are still in progress

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Employment minister Chris Grayling welcomes drop in those claiming Job Seeker's Allowance but admits "real concern" over new unemployment figures

By Jonathan Isaby

Unemployment figures for the three months to January were released at 9.30am and media are already concentrating on the headline figure of 2.53 million being a 17-year high, with the number of 16 to 24-year-olds out of work increasing to 974,000, the highest since records began in 1992.

However, the total claiming Jobseeker's Allowance fell by 10,200 to 1.45 million, the biggest reduction since last June, and the total number of people in work increased by 32,000 to 29.16 million, the highest figure since last autumn - and one driven entirely by an increase in jobs in the private sector.

Other statistics worth noting include:

• The number of over-65s in work increased by 56,000 in the latest quarter to reach 900,000, the highest since records began in 1992;
• There was also a record number of 50 to 64-year-olds in work - up by 25,000 to 7.3 million;
• There were almost half a million job vacancies in the three months to February, up by 24,000 over the previous quarter.

Employment minister Chris Grayling responded to the latest numbers thus:

"There is good news and bad news in these figures. There's been a welcome drop in the number of people on benefits, and the increase in full-time private sector jobs is a step in the right direction.

"But the rise in overall unemployment is a real concern and underlines the need to press ahead with policies which will further stimulate growth in the private sector. For those on benefits that are now looking to make the transition into the workplace our new Work Programme will provide tailored support to get them into jobs."

Foreign affairs issues aside, this would seem a likely topic for Ed Miliband to raise at today's PMQs.