- More than 420,000 people will be looking for work for the first time
Rishi Sunak said yesterday that if unemployed people do not find work within a year, their benefits will be cut off.
Unveiling the biggest changes to the welfare system in a generation, the Prime Minister said he was determined to stop people continuing to receive benefits as a “lifestyle choice”.
The Prime Minister also outlined a new “moral mandate” to get Brits back to work, saying too many young people with mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression are being “ignored” and supporting them to find work. He also said that it should be done.
More than 420,000 people classified as sick or disabled will be looking for work for the first time.
Mr Sunak’s comments sparked a fierce backlash from disability charities. But he said it was “fair” to expect people who are able to work to do so, adding that going to work “can actually improve your mental and physical health”.
The Prime Minister has told long-term unemployed workers that they will not be allowed to continue receiving benefits for many years. According to official statistics, 500,000 able-bodied people have been unemployed for more than six months, and more than 250,000 people have been unemployed for more than a year.
“There’s no reason these people shouldn’t be working, especially when there are nearly a million jobs available,” the prime minister said.
He said the Conservative Party’s manifesto would mean that after 12 months on benefits, if a person does not comply with jobcentre conditions, such as accepting an available job, “their claim will be terminated and their benefit terminated completely”. He said he was committed to the bill.
Mr Sunak dismissed concerns that the measures could push people into poverty, saying forcing people to work would make them better off by an average of £7,000 a year. He added: “There is huge support for these people and there is no medical reason why they cannot work, but half a million people are currently on benefits for a very long time.”
“And I’m very concerned that this becomes a lifestyle choice. It’s a fundamental question of fairness.”
The number of people considered to be ‘economically inactive’ after receiving long-term sick pay has increased by a third since the start of the pandemic and now stands at a whopping 2.8 million. About half have depression, anxiety, or nervousness.
Speaking at the Center for Social Justice think tank in London, Mr Sunak said “something has gone wrong” since the pandemic, with too many young people “stagnant on welfare” and “financially unsustainable”. He said he is preparing a benefits bill. He warned against the “over-medicalization of everyday tasks and life’s worries” and said the expected increase in benefit spending over the next few years was “not sustainable”.
Mr Sunak also outlined plans to overhaul Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which is claimed by 3.4 million people, half of whom are due to mental health problems. The payments are worth up to £700 a month and are intended to help people with illness or disability with additional living costs.
A consultation on the issue will consider whether cash payments should be limited to disabled people and those with the most severe mental health conditions.
The Prime Minister said the number of people claiming PIP due to anxiety and depression had more than doubled in the past five years.
Mr Sunak said people suffering from conditions such as anxiety and depression could be offered “access to treatments such as talk therapy and respite care” in lieu of cash.
Charity Scope accused the Prime Minister of an “all-out attack on disabled people”, but Mr Sunak said: “We have forced a generation of young people to sit alone in the dark in front of a flickering screen and their dreams are further shattered. There is no mercy in watching them go away.” It’s getting more and more out of reach day by day.
Work capacity assessments, which determine eligibility for disability benefits, will also be reformed, forcing 424,000 people who are currently eligible for indefinite sick leave to look for work. Mr Sunak said: “People with less severe mental health conditions should be expected to participate in the world of work.”
And the Prime Minister said GPs could be stripped of their role in helping people leave their jobs, and the ‘professions and health professions’ focus on what jobs they could get. confirmed that they may be responsible for distributing so-called “fit notes” given to teams. This is done with support.
Official figures show GPs handed out 11 million medical certificates last year, with just 6% rated as ‘may be fit for work’.
Labor said it was working on social security reform, but declined to say which parts of the plan it supported. “All we heard today were blanket questions and rehashing suggestions without concrete answers,” the spokesperson said.
