Labour used to howl down any benefit cuts. So do they now have the resolve to slash billions from sicknote handouts? DANIEL HANNAN
1 week, 2 days ago

Labour used to howl down any benefit cuts. So do they now have the resolve to slash billions from sicknote handouts? DANIEL HANNAN

Daily Mail  

Do you remember when Labour MPs used to howl down any attempt at welfare reform as genocide? The Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall, is reportedly looking to save £6 billion from the welfare budget, largely by tightening the rules on mental health sicknotes. Labour plainly won't reduce the NHS budget – although it might be able to introduce an insurance element into the system, allowing hospitals to do more with less. Something has gone very badly wrong when employers are crying out for more staff, and yet 9.3 million people of working age are inactive, 5.9 million of them on benefits. Having accused the last government of destroying Britain's reputation by failing to increase the foreign aid budget, Labour is cutting it in order to increase defence spending.

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History of this topic

UK’s Mental Health Crisis Drives 500,000 Onto Benefits, IFS Says
1 week, 1 day ago

UK’s Mental Health Crisis Drives 500,000 Onto Benefits, IFS Says

Live Mint  

-- Half a million more people in England and Wales are claiming disability benefits for mental-health problems than before the pandemic, according to research that may add to concerns over government plans to squeeze welfare spending. The analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies pointed to a surge in “deaths of despair,” rising numbers of people accessing mental health services …

Billions in welfare cuts loom in UK
Trending News
2 weeks ago

Billions in welfare cuts loom in UK

China Daily  

By EARLE GALE in London | China Daily Global | Updated: 2025-03-06 09:17 Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves ahead of a meeting at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in Canary Wharf, London, Britain Feb 20, 2025. United Kingdom residents could soon find it harder to access welfare money, after the nation's finance minister makes multi-billion-pound cuts to …

Does Labour think benefit claimants are ‘taking the mickey’?
1 month, 1 week ago

Does Labour think benefit claimants are ‘taking the mickey’?

The Independent  

Liz Kendall, secretary of state for work and pensions, has said more about her plans for welfare reform. While stressing the vital support needed by those with disabilities and long-term illness trying to get jobs, Kendall remarked: “I have no doubt, as there always have been, there are people who shouldn’t be on those benefits who are taking the mickey, …

Ministers need to build on past Labour success in welfare savings
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Ministers need to build on past Labour success in welfare savings

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The last …

Labour is accused of putting off urgently needed reforms to cure sicknote Britain and get two million people into jobs
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Labour is accused of putting off urgently needed reforms to cure sicknote Britain and get two million people into jobs

Daily Mail  

Labour was last night accused of putting off urgently needed reforms to cure sicknote Britain. Ministers are launching a drive to ‘get Britain working again’ and achieve an ‘ambitious’ target of getting another 2 million people into jobs. The Government was accused of putting off much needed welfare reforms as it unveiled plans focusing on employment support and revamping Jobcentres …

Sick note Britain! Business chiefs urge Labour to end UK's worklessness crisis - as ministers set to unveil radical welfare reforms to get Brits back into work
3 months, 3 weeks ago

Sick note Britain! Business chiefs urge Labour to end UK's worklessness crisis - as ministers set to unveil radical welfare reforms to get Brits back into work

Daily Mail  

Young people who refuse to take a job will have their benefits cut, Labour said yesterday - despite previous pledges to halt ‘cruel Tory sanctions’ on the unemployed. Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall said that claimants had a ‘responsibility’ to take a job or engage with training programmes in return for their benefits. Ms Kendall, who will unveil Labour’s …

How Britain became hooked on sickness benefits
5 months, 1 week ago

How Britain became hooked on sickness benefits

The Telegraph  

Britain is in the grip of its worst sickness crisis in decades, and the Treasury is growing increasingly concerned. According to the latest predictions, one in 12 working-age Britons are expected to claim sickness benefits by the end of the decade, fuelled by a surge in mental health conditions. The Office for Budget Responsibility, the Government’s tax-and-spending watchdog, pulled no …

Sickness handouts to be cut for mentally ill under Labour proposal
5 months, 1 week ago

Sickness handouts to be cut for mentally ill under Labour proposal

The Telegraph  

People with mild mental health conditions could lose some of their benefits under plans being considered by ministers to cut welfare spending. Liz Kendall, the Work and Pensions Secretary, is weighing up whether to press ahead with restrictions on sickness handouts that would save £3 billion. Rachel Reeves is looking at making savings on Britain’s annual £44 billion sickness benefits …

Workshy Brits could lose handouts after 12 months as Rishi Sunak warns benefits bill is 'unsustainable' and 'life worries' are not a reason to dodge jobs - suggesting specialist teams NOT GPs should d
11 months ago

Workshy Brits could lose handouts after 12 months as Rishi Sunak warns benefits bill is 'unsustainable' and 'life worries' are not a reason to dodge jobs - suggesting specialist teams NOT GPs should d

Daily Mail  

Rishi Sunak unveiled a 'moral mission' to get Brits off benefits today as he warned that numbers out of the workforce are 'unsustainable' and 'tragic'. In a major speech today, Rishi Sunak will warn that a surge in people signed off sick with mental health conditions is placing 'unsustainable' pressure on the welfare budget Your browser does not support iframes. …

The rise of the suburban mental health sicknote: Every part of Britain sees a rises in incapacity benefit claims - with some of the largest increases in affluent commuter belt towns - see how many hav
11 months, 1 week ago

The rise of the suburban mental health sicknote: Every part of Britain sees a rises in incapacity benefit claims - with some of the largest increases in affluent commuter belt towns - see how many hav

Daily Mail  

Every parliamentary constituency in Britain saw a rise in incapacity benefit claims last year - with some of the largest increases driven by a surge in mental health problems in affluent areas. Mental health problems affect more than a third of 16 to 34-year-olds out of work due to long-term illness and account for 69 per cent of all medical …

Fairytale tax cuts threaten mental health services that are already inadequate
1 year, 3 months ago

Fairytale tax cuts threaten mental health services that are already inadequate

The Independent  

There will be more cases like that of Ben Craig – a mental health patient who was well enough to leave hospital, but who was stranded on a ward for two years – if the next election becomes a Dutch auction of tax cuts. Unfortunately Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, and Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, say that they …

The silent crisis crippling Britain’s public finances
1 year, 8 months ago

The silent crisis crippling Britain’s public finances

The Telegraph  

Among those who are not working because of sickness, almost 620,000 cite mental health problems as the cause, a jump of more than one-third from just under 460,000 a decade ago. As well as infecting millions, the pandemic also overwhelmed parts of the health service, delayed treatment for other conditions and contributed to vast waiting lists – meaning those who …

Millions of mental health sufferers fear returning to the workplace
4 years, 1 month ago

Millions of mental health sufferers fear returning to the workplace

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Led by the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, …

‘It’s not enough to survive on’: Britain faces up to prospect of mass unemployment as government support winds down
4 years, 7 months ago

‘It’s not enough to survive on’: Britain faces up to prospect of mass unemployment as government support winds down

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy “I literally don’t know what …

One in four people with acute mental health problems unable to get the help they need, study finds
7 years, 4 months ago

One in four people with acute mental health problems unable to get the help they need, study finds

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy One in four people who suffer from acute mental health …

Mental health patients being failed as services face 'potent mix' of workforce cuts and rising demand, shows report
7 years, 5 months ago

Mental health patients being failed as services face 'potent mix' of workforce cuts and rising demand, shows report

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy People with serious mental health problems are being failed as …

Government welfare cuts blamed for 50% surge in mental health issues among unemployed
7 years, 8 months ago

Government welfare cuts blamed for 50% surge in mental health issues among unemployed

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The UK Council for Psychotherapy said the Government’s reforms of welfare payments were to blame …

Don't be fooled by the PR offensive - these disability cuts look set to be savage
9 years, 4 months ago

Don't be fooled by the PR offensive - these disability cuts look set to be savage

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Disability charity Scope fears this may …

Austerity cuts are causing mental distress and are linked to rise in suicides, health professionals warn
9 years, 4 months ago

Austerity cuts are causing mental distress and are linked to rise in suicides, health professionals warn

The Independent  

Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. …

Editorial: We are failing sufferers of mental illness
12 years, 3 months ago

Editorial: We are failing sufferers of mental illness

The Independent  

The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Today sees …

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