Britain is the sick man of Europe - How can those on long-term sick be better off than those at work? - Kelvin Mackenzie

Obviously mental health is an important issue but some claimants have worked out there’s more money in this benefit than saying you are out of work and claiming Job Seekers Allowance.

This has had a horrendous effect on the UK’s finances, with the forecast that it will be costing us £100 billion by the end of the decade. We don’t have that kind of money.

In a new piece of research, The independent Institute of Fiscal Studies says if the claimant does a 16- hour-week they will actually be £1,200 a year worse off than claiming the incapacity benefit.

How can that be right? Four in five people on these benefits have been out of work for more than two years, equivalent to around 2.6 million Britons. An enormous number. No wonder companies can’t find a steady workforce.

Politicians say there is a tax trap i.e. that if they do go to work their pay doesn’t cover what they lose in benefits. I’ve seen it suggested that we should reduce taxes for these people in that case.

No. The answer is to reduce benefits. To nothing. Forcing these people back to work. There will be exceptions, people who are genuinely not well or disabled, but not 2.5 million. Uniquely we are the sick man of Europe.

Every other country has seen the number of sick go back to pre-pandemic numbers. But not us. What is it about the UK which makes us so unwell? My bet is that we are just plain idle and we have found out there is good money to be made out of laziness.

It’s said that Liz Kendall, the Pensions Secretary, is thinking of slashing benefits for those with mild mental health conditions.

That would save £3 billion. I would be massively in favour, but imagine a couple of weepy interviews from a young mum on Channel Four News and you can see Ms Kendall saying they are so sorry and the whole campaign is canned.

Incredibly, even if they increased the number of hours from 16 hours to 20 hours they would still be poorer than if they had hung around the house all week only ever nipping out for a coffee.

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The most amazing number I saw in the analysis was that if the claimant took a full-time job on minimum pay (£20,900) the reduction in their benefits would mean they were paying tax effectively on that number of 89 per cent.

So, the welfare state is completely out of control. Those going to work are paying higher and higher taxes so that those who don’t can have a cushy life.

Quite clear to me Starmer and Co are never going to do anything about it. Nor I suspect will the Tories after all they didn’t do anything for the last 14 years.

That leaves Farage as our only hope. He’s talking a lot about it. I'd like to see some action in the shape of policy.