The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, has unveiled what has been popularly described as a landmark five-point plan to strengthen the economy and also reduce the rising number of welfare claimants by getting the scroungers back to work.
Announcing this five-point plans on Friday, Sunak said he remained compassionate and committed to the welfare of the people, but, however, insisted that there is need for major changes to end the shocking rise in welfare claimants.
According to him, General Practitioners (GPs) have been too easily handing out sick notices, while Britain has begun “over-medicalising” the challenges of everyday life, such as anxiety, and others.
Recall that GPs in the UK are general experts in the whole field of medicine and see both children and adults. They deal with a range of health problems and are usually the first person a patient turns to for help.
The Prime Minister revealed that the disability welfare bill of the country is set to increase by more than 50% over the next four years if left unreformed, lamenting that even the current welfare bill of a whopping sum of £69billion (spent on people of working age with a disability or health condition) is economically unsustainable. He also explained how the government will reform that if re-elected this year.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged a more ambitious approach to assessing people’s potential for work, noting that too many potential workers are being deemed unfit for employment without expectations of finding a job. In 2011, 20% of those undergoing work capability assessments were found unfit to work, but today that figure has risen to 65%. Sunak questioned whether Britons are three times sicker now than a decade ago, suggesting that stricter work capability assessments could lead thousands more to return to work.
Sunak criticized general practitioners for being overly lenient in declaring patients unfit for work, noting that only 6% of those assessed are signed off as fit for employment. He warned of the need to change the “sick note culture” and proposed a new system providing rapid access to work advice. He also suggested the possibility of stripping GPs of their role in the assessment process and assigning it to specialists for more objective evaluations.
Sunak emphasized higher expectations for those receiving benefits and proposed that individuals working less than half a full-time week must seek additional work in exchange for benefits. He stated that those unable to comply with work coach conditions, such as accepting available jobs, may have their claims closed and benefits removed after 12 months.
The Prime Minister also highlighted potential changes for people claiming personal independence payments for mental health reasons. He suggested that financial aid could be replaced with non-cash transfers and noted a doubling of awards for anxiety and depression since 2019, with an average of 5,000 new awards each month.
Finally, Sunak pledged to combat fraud and exploitation in the welfare system. He aims to save £600 million by 2029 by accessing data from third parties like banks and using AI to crack down on exploitation.
Sunak stressed the importance of implementing these reforms in order to strengthen the UK’s economy and ensure that welfare programs are sustainable for future generations. He believes that these changes will provide better support to those truly in need while encouraging those who can work to seek employment opportunities. The Prime Minister emphasized that these measures are crucial for promoting economic growth and improving the overall well-being of the nation.
