Britain now spends more on sickness than on defence with £65 billion splashed on health-related payouts compared to just £57 billion for the military. Not like wars are raging across the Middle East and Ukraine…
The Lords Economic Affairs Committee is demanding action, with Chair Lord George Bridges slamming the system for encouraging welfare over work, calling it “financially unsustainable” and a “waste of human potential.” They reckon getting 400,000 people back to work could save £10 billion. Last week Tony Blair took aim at the surge in self-diagnosed mental health conditions as one in three young workers was signed off with stress last year, and the cost of Personal Independence Payments (PIP) forecast to rocket from £22 billion to £35 billion in just four years—a 60% increase. With Rachel Reeves facing spending cuts in the spring after her budget bombed, slashing this sickness spend should be at the top of her to-do list…
Sarah Pochin at Reform Scotland’s manifesto launch event: “I really wanted to come on in a Reform tartan burka, but apparently I wasn’t allowed… One day let’s do one of these events not live-streamed. We’ll do all the naughty stuff…”