Her comments were condemned by disability charities, with disability equality charity Scope slamming the ‘absurd comments’.
In a sign that the Tories remain the nasty party, Laura Trott, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, has suggested that people with mobility and mental health problems should do “their duty” by working from home.
Her comments come ahead of the Chancellor’s autumn statement this afternoon, where Jeremy Hunt is expected to announce a further squeeze on welfare payments as well as tougher sanctions.
The Tories are expected to announce plans to force those with mental health or mobility problems to find work they can do from home, or risk losing their welfare payments.
Trott dismissed concerns over a tougher and less humane welfare system, saying that those who can “should work” – arguing there was a “duty on citizens” to do so.
Her comments were condemned by disability charities, with disability equality charity Scope slamming the ‘absurd comments’.
In a post on X, the charity wrote: “Disabled people do not have a duty to work unsuitable jobs. Let’s get that clear. The government *does* have a duty to not dehumanise the million disabled people who want to work but are denied the chance. It’s a duty the government is failing on.
“Laura Trott’s comments today are absurd. It’s completely irresponsible to suggest that people who are unwell have a duty to work through it.
“Comments like this fuel a dangerous narrative. One that demonises disabled people, and paints them as burdens on the taxpayer.
“The suggestion that disabled people can simply work from home is totally impractical too. You only need to take a look at the DWP job site shows how few vacancies offer fully remote working as an option.”
Megan Pennell, campaigns manager at mental health charity Mind, said it was “simply wrong” to say those unable to work should do so at home.
“People who are not well enough to work need to be given the time and space to recover, not be coerced back into workplaces that they’re not yet ready to re-enter,” she told the ipaper.
“We know that pushing people back to work too early worsens their mental health and leaves them facing an even longer recovery time than if they were to recover at their own pace.
“Instead of redesigning the benefits system to drop support for hundreds of thousands of people, the UK government should be investing in improving our mental health services.”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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