This Labour government began their mandate for change cushioned by a sky-high majority and a public perception that things could only get better.
No-one expected 14 years of a toxic Tory legacy to be banished in weeks or months, but hopes were high that the new administration would mark a dramatic ideological shift. A new era, marked by a fairer society.
To date though, some policy announcements would lead one to wonder whether Starmer’s government have fallen foul of some type of Stockholm Syndrome.
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Being in opposition and watching the Conservatives announce one hare-brained scheme after another has brainwashed them into thinking that this is how to govern.
As difficult as it is to admit, it appears Labour is the captive of doctrines which punish the most disempowered and vulnerable people in our society. Who could have guessed the drugging of unemployed people and coaching those with mental illnesses would be policy priorities?
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall’s plan to cut welfare spending includes sending job coaches into mental health hospitals to get inpatients back to work.
What bright spark dreamt this up? Do they really imagine that people who are being treated in mental health settings should be asked about their CV or their LinkedIn profile?
Teaching skills is not a bad thing but when it is linked to the benefits system it causes fear and mistrust. Will this be compulsory or optional? Is it linked to sanctions? Will participation become a condition for entitlement to benefits?
According to the minister, this has the potential to produce dramatic results. No doubt. However, these ‘results’ may be causing unnecessary anxiety and distress and ironically moving people further away from the job market.
It is an idea that is as crass as it is insensitive and downright insulting. Pushing people who are vulnerable to engage in work-related activities may be detrimental to recovery and cause serious harm. One might expect safeguards to ensure that those with mental illnesses can avail of appropriate support, rather than being re-traumatised by job coaches.
Meanwhile, not to be outdone, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has revealed his plans to trial a new generation of weight-loss drugs to tackle worklessness and productivity.
The government is working with pharmaceutical companies to profile people who claim benefits and target them with weight-loss drugs. Essentially the plan is to give jabs to unemployed people who are diagnosed as obese, with the aim of getting them back to work to help boost the UK economy.
This plan represents the first real-world trial of the drugs’ effect on the unemployed – to date they have only been deployed to treat weight loss and Type 2 diabetes. Research suggests that these drugs have nasty side effects including nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. However, as it stands there is no empirical evidence of its effectiveness on non-clinical outcomes such as the economy.
It is not clear if these drugs will be offered to all of those who want to lose weight or just those who are unemployed. Will our GP system, which is already under unprecedented pressure, be responsible for the delivery and monitoring of these drugs?
Does this set a precedent for other medical conditions that might impact on employment opportunities? Depression is linked to long-term employment, so is prescribing anti-depressants the next logical step?
Where do you start with the ethical and efficacy considerations of these approaches? Alarm bells should be ringing all over the place.
The framing of these issues is deeply worrying. Seeing people and measuring their worth through the lens of their potential economic value, rather than being focused on their health needs, is grim. Medication should only be offered due to a medical requirement.
Additionally, these policies represent an overreach of the state into individuals’ lives and as such are wholly inappropriate. One should be expected to discuss their personal medical issues with their GP, not with staff from the local job centre.
It is accepted that obesity is a serious public health issue. It is the second biggest preventable cause of cancer and a major contributor to ill health. We are eating more, eating less healthily and exercising less, leading to a less healthy and shorter life. This must be addressed at a societal and systemic level, rather than focusing on individual behaviours.
There is a link between obesity and worklessness, but this is not the way to address it. Most people who are unemployed have multiple and complex reasons for not being in paid work.
These are bleak, dystopian ideas that Braverman, Jenrick, Badenoch and their cheerleaders would be proud of. Marching almost in lockstep with their Tory predecessors is not a good look.
I wish Labour knew what they were doing. Picking on pensioners, unemployed people and those with severe mental illnesses is a very peculiar political strategy. Complex public policy issues cannot be fixed by suppressing appetites or polishing CVs.
Time to hit the reset button.