Nick welcomes news that unemployment is 450,000 lower than predicted at the time of the Budget. This has saved the taxpayer £2bn, and reflects the extra investment in expanding education and training, supporting jobs and helping the unemployed back to work.

Government measures have made possible over 400,000 new opportunities for young people nationally and a guarantee for everyone under 25 of a job, training or work experience after six months’ unemployment. So far in South London, 124 young people have been placed in Future Jobs Fund vacancies, and several thousand young people into permanent vacancies.

Extra funding has provided more training places for unemployed people, whatever their age, to gain new skills to help get a job. People now have guaranteed access to advice on CV-writing and job-searching, with support tailored for unemployed professionals and older workers.

The proportion of workless households is still lower now than in 1997, despite the recession and the huge increase in the number of students. The number of children in workless households has fallen from 2.1m in 1997 to 1.72m in 2008.

Nick says: ‘Today’s figures highlight the importance of continuing to increase help for the unemployed, even as the economy starts to recover. Tory proposals to choke off support at such a crucial time would be a real threat to economic recovery. Many people will remember the Tory policies of the past, when they said that unemployment was a price worth paying, leaving families and communities, such as Woolwich, scarred for two decades. I am determined that we do not repeat these Tory mistakes. In contrast to previous recessions, people aren’t being dumped on benefits, but are given real help and support’.