STEPHEN POLLARD: Starmer must banish corrosive idea that self-responsibility is merely an option

When Sir William Beveridge published his famous report in 1942, effectively creating the modern welfare state, he envisaged a system which would provide a safety net below which no one would be allowed to fall. It is important that Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall sticks to her guns when she announces her plans tomorrow – and that she is not swayed by the backlash from the Left of the Labour Party n the decade to 2023, for example, the number of adults below the pension age who were officially recognised as having a mental health-related disability jumped from 1.8 million to 5.1 million When Sir William Beveridge published his famous report in 1942, effectively creating the modern welfare state, he envisaged a system which would provide a safety net below which no one would be allowed to fall Overall, spending on disability and other incapacity benefits has soared by 40 per cent above inflation in the past decade The reason for this is relatively straightforward: an astonishing surge in the numbers who receive a benefit because they say they are unable to work. In the decade to 2023, for example, the number of adults below the pension age who were officially recognised as having a mental health-related disability jumped from 1.8 million to 5.1 million. That is why it so important that Sir Keir Starmer and Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall stick to their guns when she announces her plans tomorrow – and that they are not swayed by the backlash from the Left of the Labour Party.