‘Lazy girls’ aren’t what’s hurting the British economy

The current government will do almost anything to avoid reforming welfare or the NHS. Last month, we were informed school leavers might be allowed to train as doctors without a traditional medical degree in an ill-conceived cosplay scheme. And it was reported yesterday that GPs may be encouraged to refer patients to life coaches, rather than issue sick notes, to help people get back into work.

Between the starts of 2019 and 2023, the number of economically inactive working adults with depression or anxiety jumped by 40 per cent to hit 1.35 million. There are 400,000 more people on long-term sickness than before the pandemic. Yet rather than hiring more staff to carry out face-to-face ‘fit to work’ tests, the government is proposing to scrap capability assessments altogether. At the same time, it’s hoping life coaches could support 50,000 people with long-term mental health, debt or other problems return to their jobs.