‘A CONSERVATIVE government believes those who can work should work, so sanctions will be applied more rigorously to those who fail to meet strict work search requirements,’ Tory Chancellor Hunt warned yesterday.
Delivering his ‘back-to-work’ budget in the House of Commons, multi-millionaire Hunt threatened the most vulnerable in society – the disabled, the mentally ill, the elderly and single mothers – with abject poverty.
Standing up at 12.30pm, Hunt said: ‘We have around one million vacancies in the economy, but excluding students there are over seven million adults of working age who are not in work, that’s a potential pool of seven people for every vacancy.
‘Conservatives believe work is a virtue. So today I bring forward reforms to remove the barriers that stop people from working and I start with over two million people who are inactive due to a disability or long-term sickness. . .
‘Today we publish a White Paper on disability benefits reform. It is the biggest change to our welfare system in a decade. Our plans will abolish the Work Capability Assessment in Great Britain and separate benefit entitlement from an individual’s ability to work. . .
‘The government will spend up to £4,000 per person to help them find appropriate jobs and put in place the support they need. It will fund 50,000 places every single year.
‘To support those who are forced to leave work because of a health condition such as a back pain or a mental health issue, we should give them support before they end up leaving their job.
‘So working with our Health Secretary, I am announcing a £400 million fund to increase the availability of mental health and musculo-skeletal resources and expand individual placement and support schemes. . .
‘The next step of employment reforms affects those on Universal Credit without a health condition who are looking for work or on low earnings.
‘There are two million jobseeekers in this group. More than enough to fill every vacancy in the economy.
‘Independence is always better than dependence, which is why a Conservative government believes those who can work should work.
‘So sanctions will be applied more rigorously to those who fail to meet strict work search requirements or choose not to take up a reasonable job offer.
‘For those working low hours we will increase the administrative earnings threshold from the equivalent of 15 hours to 18 hours at National Living Wage, for an individual claimant, meaning that anyone working at below this level will receive more work coach support alongside a more intensive conditionality regime.
‘The next group of workers I want to support are those aged over 50. . . Fully three-and-a-half million people of pre-retirement age over 50 are not part of the labour force. An increase of 320,000 since before the pandemic. . .
‘We will increase by five-fold the number of 50-plus Universal Credit claimants who receive midlife MOTs from 8,000 to 40,000 a year. . .
‘The Education Secretary will introduce Returnerships targeted at the over-50s, which will operate alongside Skills Boot Camps and sector-based work academies.’
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