Is Rishi Sunak playing politics with ‘sick notes’ or does the benefits system need to be reformed?

The prime minister has riled mental health charities by claiming young people are at the heart of a ‘sick note culture’. But with an ageing population and less money to go around, both the Tories and Labour agree on one thing: social security has to change, writes Sean O’Grady

The PM giving his speech on welfare reform in central London on Friday (PA)

The prime minister has provoked outrage from health charities and groups representing people with disabilities due to his proposed changes to eligibility for social security. Rishi Sunak has said he will end what he calls a “sick note culture” with a new “moral mission” to reform the welfare system if re-elected. Focusing on younger people and the numbers suffering from mental health conditions in particular, he calls the number of economically inactive young people – for whatever reason not seeking work – in Britain a “tragedy”. Pointing out that reforms in recent years have not prevented an increase in long-term sickness, Sunak says: “We don’t just need to change the sick note, we need to change the sick note culture, so the default becomes what work you can do – not what you can’t.”

Why is what Sunak said so controversial?

Because any speech or policy that touches on the most vulnerable in society is bound to be so – but also because Sunak himself wants to confront the issue despite the reaction it’s bound to cause. In his speech, he struck a balanced but unusually sceptical note on mental health assessment, specifically in a work context: “We need to be more ambitious about helping people back to work. And more honest about the risk of over-medicalising the everyday challenges and worries of life.” He added: “The biggest proportional increase in economic inactivity due to long-term sickness came from young people. Those in the prime of their life, just starting out on work and family – instead parked on welfare. We should see it as a sign of progress that people can talk openly about mental health conditions. But just as it would be wrong to dismiss this growing trend, so it would be wrong merely to sit back and accept it because it’s too hard or too controversial or for fear of causing offence.”