‘UNDER this Labour government, if you can work you must work,’ Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall told the House of Commons yesterday.
Launching the Labour government’s Get Britain Working White Paper, Kendall declared war on the whole working class, specifically the unemployed, the disabled, the sick, the mentally ill and, in particular, the youth.
Opening her speech, Kendall warned: ‘Across the country there are areas that the party opposite repeatedly promised to level up, but repeatedly failed to deliver.
‘And the result is an economic, but above all, social crisis paid for in the life chances and living standards of people right across this country and by a benefits bill for sickness and disability which is set to rise by £26 billion by the end of this parliament.’
She accused the Tories of ‘failure to deliver on the NHS and to properly reform welfare, but under our government this will change with new opportunities, matched by responsibilities to take them up, because under this Labour government if you can work you must work.’
She said: ‘Our White Paper brings in three major reforms, first we will create a new jobs and careers service, overhauling jobcentres from a one-size-fits-all service and which overwhelmingly focuses on administering benefits into a genuine public employment service, providing personalised support.’
She threatened: ‘We will trial a radically improved digital service, using the latest technologies and AI to provide up-to-date information on jobs, skills and other support and to free up work coach and testing video and phone support too because in the 2020s you shouldn’t only have to go into the jobcentre every week or fortnight when you can have a jobcentre in your pocket.
‘And because our frontline staff are our greatest asset we’ll develop the work coach and careers adviser professions including by launching a new coaching academy.’
She continued: ‘Our second major reform is our new youth guarantee, so every young person is earning or learning. This comes alongside our commitment to provide mental health support in every school, our work experience and careers advice offer and our plan to reform the last government’s failed apprenticeship levy.’
She continued: ‘The third major reform in our White Paper is our new plan to drive down economic inactivity caused by ill-health.’
She said: ‘We’re joining up employment and health support, expanding individual placement support to reach an additional 140,000 people with mental health problems and to bring in new workwell services, which includes GPs referring patients to employment advisers and other work-related support.’
• See editorial
