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Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall vows to finish ‘sick observe tradition’ after a survey confirmed that lots of people really feel they’ll by no means work once more
11:00, 07 Feb 2025Updated 11:26, 07 Feb 2025
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall(Image: Lucy North/PA Wire)
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has hit out at people ‘taking the mickey’ over benefits. The claim comes in light of a report from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) which found that 49% of health and disability benefits recipients felt they would never be able to work or work again, with 66% fearing their health would deteriorate further.
The report also revealed that 27% believed they might be able to work in the future if their health improved, a figure that rose to 44% among those whose main health condition was mental health related.
Speaking to ITV, Ms Kendall said: “I feel what the survey exhibits as we speak is that regardless of all of the myths, lots of people who’re at the moment on illness or incapacity advantages need to work.
The DWP boss has hit out this week(Image: Getty Images)
When asked if people on benefits were ‘pretending they can’t work’, she responded: “Many of them have both simply misplaced jobs that they desperately miss, or actually need to get again into to work as soon as they have their well being situation beneath management. So I feel that there are a lot of extra individuals who need to work.
“I have no doubt, as there always have been, there are people who shouldn’t be on those benefits who are taking the mickey and that is not good enough – we have to end that.”
Before the final election, ex-PM Rishi Sunak urged an finish to ‘sick observe tradition’ and cautioned about ‘over-medicalising the on a regular basis challenges and worries of life’.
Ms Kendall weighed in, saying: “There is genuinely a problem with many young people, particularly the Covid generation, but we can’t have a situation where doing a day’s work is in itself seen as stressful.”
She recounted her expertise visiting an area grocery store: “I went to visit one of my local supermarkets recently to see the brilliant work they’re doing with the charity to get young people into work. And we saw two things. One was young people with genuine mental health problems, who the supermarket was doing great stuff to help them get work and stay in work.”
Sir Keir Starmer and work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall
“But additionally the managers saying there have been some younger individuals who felt simply turning up on time or working the day that they wanted to, not all the time taking breaks – they needed to perceive that that was the world of labor, that was simply the character of life and that is not stress or stress.”
The survey highlighted that two out of five respondents were awaiting treatment for their health condition, with half of the jobless feeling that returning to work hinged on getting treatment.
Ms Kendall emphasised the Government’s commitment to ‘act and put that support in place’, contrasting it with the previous Conservative government’s approach of ‘writing people off’ and ‘blaming them’.
She said: “I do not blame individuals for considering that they can not, as a result of they’re caught on a ready checklist for remedy. They have not had the right help that they may want from the job centre or the abilities that they should get the roles, we have additionally acquired to create extra jobs within the areas that want them most.
“So I’m under no illusions about the scale of the challenge that we’ve got. I believe more of those people could work. But even if we just start with those who say they can, we need to do more to get them back into work.”
The revealing insights are a part of the Work Aspirations of Health and Disability Claimants report, which surveyed 3,401 well being and incapacity profit recipients – together with people receiving Personal Independence Payment, Employment and Support Allowance, and Universal Credit Health Journey claimants.
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