Overview
- The DWP disclosure, reported Friday, lists sanction reasons and counts dating back to May 2016, though outlets differ on whether there are 27 or 28 categories.
- Failure to attend or take part in a mandatory interview accounts for about 90% of adverse decisions in the latest figures.
- Official data show monthly sanctions surpassed 60,000 on three occasions since Labour took office, including October 2024, January 2025 and October 2025.
- In November 2025, 5.9% of claimants in conditionality were under sanction, and about 24.5% of all UC recipients were in regimes where sanctions can apply, roughly 2 million people.
- Guidance on gov.uk says UC payments can be docked for debts such as child maintenance, fines, rent arrears, overpayments or utility bills, while elements like child allowance, childcare and housing costs are protected.