Sunak’s ‘sick note’ mission is bad enough – but there’s worse to come for disabled people

Quietly killing off a flagship scheme designed to help disabled people back to work, just days after the prime minister announces a crackdown on Britain’s “sick-note culture” to address the rise in unemployment, is everything that’s wrong with Rishi’s Tories, says James Moore

Removing a scheme to help disabled people into jobs, in the middle of a crusade to get Britain working again, is ‘adding injury to injury’ Alamy/PA (Alamy/PA)

A revolution in the employment support we’re providing for people with health problems and disabilities,” was how Mel Stride described the programme he was overseeing as Rishi Sunak’s work and pensions secretary.

Speaking at the Conservative Party conference last year, he went on: “It pains me to think there are so many people being left on benefits who want to work and who could be thriving in work. It’s a waste of human potential.”

But how sincere was that? Because, you see, those quotes of his don’t exactly sit well with the decision to close the £100m Work and Health Programme currently operating in England and Wales.