Keir Starmer has issued a Tory-style threat to people with long-term illnesses: look for work, no matter how bad your condition.

The prime minister’s ultimatum echoes the worst excesses of the Tory offensive against people who cannot work, through no fault of their own.

He equated it with benefit fraud: “We will legislate to stop benefit fraud, do everything we can to tackle worklessness.”

He told the BBC’s Today programme he agreed with the proposition that virtually no-one should claim benefits without trying to get back to work:

“The basic proposition that you should look for work is right,” he replied.

“People need to look for work, but they also need support.

“That’s why I’ve gone out to look at schemes where businesses are supporting people back into work from long-term sickness.

“Quite often, I think what lies behind this is a fear for someone who’s been on long term sickness that – ‘can they get back into the workplace? Are they going to be able to cope? Is it all going to go hopelessly wrong?'”

This is just setting people up to fail.

People with chronic pain, for example, would be asked to cope with a condition that worsens exponentially the longer they have to do physical work of any kind, with a knock-on effect on their ability to concentrate – to actually do a job – and their mental health.

They would fail – and then they would be penalised by our cruel benefits system – that Starmer clearly intends to worsen – for giving up.

And what about the fact that businesses don’t want people with long-term illnesses or disabilities because they see those people as a liability?

The Tory years of 2010-2024 were characterised by stories of sick and disabled people who had been forced to seek work falling into despair and taking their own lives. Starmer is demanding more of this.

And the worst of it is that many of those he is keen to victimise have developed their condition because successive governments have failed to protect them by enforcing legislation to prevent accidents and promote good health in the workplace. Even if his new Labour government acts on this now, it won’t help people who are already suffering.

One has to question whether people like Starmer get some kind of sick, perverted thrill from increasing the stress they place on the sick.

Clearly, he has not taken the opportunity to read the free copy of The Department, by Disability News Service‘s John Pring, that chronicles the role of the Department for Work and Pensions in the deaths of hundreds of disabled people over the last 14 years alone – and how the DWP covered up the government’s role in those deaths.

If he had, if he has any humanity at all, he would not be calling for increased victimisation of the sick and disabled now.

Sadly, the possibility that he does have any humanity is looking increasingly remote.

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