UK PM unveils ‘moral mission’ to get people working

London: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday outlined a package of reforms to

deliver on his “moral mission” to get economically inactive people working again and move the country’s so-called “sick note culture” towards a “fit note” one. In a major speech on welfare at the Centre for Social Justice in London, the British Indian leader said that state-funded

unemployment support should be seen as a “safety net” rather

than a “lifestyle choice” and pointed to a worryingly

growing number of economically inactive people since the COVID pandemic.

Sunak said the government must significantly control welfare because he feared that the longer someone stays on benefits, the harder it is to get back to work. “The role of the welfare state should never be merely to provide financial support, as important as that will always be, but to help people overcome whatever barriers they might face to living an independent, fulfilling life,” said Sunak.

“We must never tolerate barriers that hold people back from making their contribution and from sharing in that sense of self-worth that comes from feeling part of being something bigger than ourselves. That is why this is a moral mission … there is nothing fair about expecting taxpayers to support those who could work but choose not to. It doesn’t have to be like this. We can change. We must change,” he said.