Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall blasts some Brits on benefits ‘taking the mickey’

SOME radical connected benefits are “taking the mickey”, the Work and Pensions Secretary has said.

Liz Kendall besides declared that excessively galore youngsters were struggling to look the demands of work.

She said determination was a “genuine problem” with the “Covid generation” seeing jobs arsenic stressful.

And the Cabinet Minister warned that without reforms the UK would walk £20billion much connected sickness and disability benefits successful conscionable 5 years.

Ministers are nether pressure to chopped the ballooning payment measure and get radical grafting.

Official figures amusement determination are 270,000 radical aged 16 to 34 who are not moving owing to semipermanent sickness and mental health conditions.

The fig has surged by 60,000 (26 per cent) successful the past twelvemonth alone, the Department for Work and Pensions said.

Asked if radical were “overdoing what would beryllium a mean interest successful the past”, Ms Kendall said: “I deliberation determination is genuinely a occupation with galore young people, peculiarly the Covid generation.

“We can’t person a concern wherever doing a day’s enactment is seen arsenic stressful.”

Asked if radical were pretending to beryllium sick for a beingness connected benefits, she said: “I person nary doubt, arsenic determination ever person been, determination are radical who shouldn’t beryllium connected those benefits who are taking the mickey. We person to extremity that.”

Ms Kendall said a greenish insubstantial successful the spring would pledge enactment to overhaul the mode occupation centres work.

She did not contradict that cuts were nether consideration.

Reports past week said ministers had drawn up options to reduce benefits and necessitate the semipermanent sick to look for work.

Pressed connected however galore of the 3.3million claiming incapacity benefits could get jobs, she told ITV: “I deliberation there’s galore more, with the close assistance and support, who could.”