Labour has ethical obligation to get sick into work, MPs say | EUROtoday

The authorities has a “moral duty” to assist long-term sick and disabled folks to work if they’ll, Labour MPs have stated, as ministers plan to reform welfare.

The Get Britain Working group of 36 Labour MPs stated the nation confronted “hard choices” to beat a “crisis of economic inactivity”, in a letter to Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall.

The letter comes earlier than Kendall is predicted to set out adjustments to the welfare system, geared toward slicing the advantages invoice.

The chancellor has earmarked a number of billion kilos in draft spending cuts to welfare and different authorities departments forward of the Spring Statement.

There is unease over the plans inside the social gathering, with Labour MP Rachael Maskell warning towards “draconian cuts” that danger “pushing disabled people into poverty”.

Maskell advised the BBC she had picked up “deep deep concern” amongst Labour MPs.

She stated: “I look in the past at what Labour has achieved in this space and believe that we can hold onto our values, ensure that we’re helping people and not harming people.”

In a letter to Chancellor Rachel Reeves, a dozen charities have argued there was “little evidence to suggest cutting benefits increases employment outcomes”.

The charities – together with Disability Rights UK, Citizens Advice, Scope and Sense – urged Reeves to “think again about cuts to disability benefits”.

They stated: “There are disabled people out of work who want to work given the right support. And for some disabled people, work isn’t appropriate.

“Changes to welfare should begin right here. Not with cuts.”

But ministers are worried about the surge in the number of people claiming benefits since the Covid pandemic and the cost to the taxpayer.

As of January, 9.3 million people aged 16 to 64 in the UK were economically inactive – a rise of 713,000 since the pandemic.

The Department of Work and Pensions says some 2.8 million people are economically inactive because of long-term sickness.

Last year, the government spent £65bn on sickness benefits and that figure is forecast to increase by tens of billions before the next general election.

Some of the reforms to the welfare system have already been announced and include plans to use 1,000 work coaches to help the long-term unemployed into work.

In its letter, the Get Britian Working group said the cost of worklessness among the long-term sick and disabled “goes far past financial necessity”.

“It is an ethical obligation,” the letter said.

The letter said the group – most of whom were elected for the first time at last July’s general election – was formed to “press for elementary change to our welfare system to help work”.

“We consider reforming out damaged system is just not solely needed, but in addition a very progressive endevour,” the letter said.

On Sunday, Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden said the welfare system was “not truthful on the taxpayer”, as he confirmed changes to sickness benefits would be revealed soon.

“We do not consider it’s good that if any individual might work with a little bit of help that they are left to stay a life on advantages,” McFadden told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme.

He said 2.8 million people were currently on long-term sickness benefits and added that, if the government did not act, the level would rise to more than four million.

“We cannot permit that to occur,” he said.

Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp said too many people were being signed off sick.

He said the benefits system needed to be made tougher and suggested it was too easy for people to get welfare payments.

“I feel it is gone far too far and it’s costing us billions and billions of kilos a yr,” he stated.