The Government will push young people to join the army as part of its bid to slash the benefits bill. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall made the announcement as she confirmed long-awaited cuts in the House of Commons. She is to meet colleagues in the Ministry of Defence to discuss the plan, she said.

The aim is to get some of the 642,000 people aged 16 to 24 who are currently unemployed into the armed forces, following concern that youth unemployment is soaring. The number is up by 136,000 in just one year. Ms Kendall made the statement as she responded to a question from Conservative MP Mark Pritchard. He said: “One way of perhaps attracting some people back into work is for her to have discussions with the Defence Secretary. Would she agree with me that getting more young people into his majesty’s armed forces, air force, navy, army would be a starting place?”

The Work and Pensions Secretary said: “I absolutely agree. Indeed before I was appointed to this position in opposition, as a constituency MP, I have discussed with my local job centre and the armed forces recruitment precisely these issues because of the really exciting careers and opportunities that are available, I think are really important for young people

“I will certainly be having more discussions with colleagues in the Ministry of Defence to make sure we put this plan into action.”

It comes after Ms Kendall announced people under the age of 22 will no longer be eligible for some benefits.

She told MPs: “Because being out of work or training when you’re young is so damaging for your future prospects, we will go further.

“In addition to funding our Youth Guarantee through the £240 million Get Britain Working plan, we will consult on delaying access to the health top up in Universal Credit until someone is aged 22, with the savings reinvested into work support and training opportunities.

So every young person is earning or learning, and on a pathway to success.”

The benefit cuts announced by the Government have been attacked by some Labour MPs.

Chairwoman of the Work and Pensions Committee Debbie Abrahams (Oldham East and Saddleworth) said the Government should not be balancing its finances “on the back of sick and disabled people”.

She said the £5 billion saving is the largest reduction in social security support since 2015.

Ms Abrahams said: “I would put that there are alternative, more compassionate ways to balance the books rather than on the back of sick and disabled people.”

She said she agreed with other changes announced by Liz Kendall on Tuesday lunchtime, but added: “I implore my party to try and get our reforms to bed in first before we look to making the cuts. There’s so much evidence of the averse effects that the party opposite had with the cuts in support, and the restrictions in eligibility criteria when they were in government, including the deaths of vulnerable people, and we can’t have a repeat of that.”

She asked if the Government would publish impact assessments carried out on the policies. Ms Kendall said the impact assessments would be published alongside the spring statement next week.

She said: “Although this package is a substantial package, with those estimated savings, spending on working age sickness and disability benefits will continue to rise over this Parliament. The last forecast was that it would continue to rise by £18 billion. It is not a cut.”