Charities have hit back at the Tory welfare chief for claiming Britain’s approach to mental health is in danger of having “gone too far”.
Mel Stride said “normal anxieties of life” are being labelled as an illness as he unveiled plans to make 150,000 people signed off work with “mild” conditions look for a job. Rishi Sunak has also threatened to squeeze benefits to pay for scrapping national insurance while proposing tougher measures for people on out-of-work disability benefits.
The Work and Pensions Secretary told the Daily Telegraph: “While I’m grateful for today’s much more open approach to mental health, there is a danger that this has gone too far. There is a real risk now that we are labelling the normal ups and downs of human life as medical conditions which then actually serve to hold people back and, ultimately, drive up the benefit bill.”
Chief Executive of Mind, Dr Sarah Hughes, said: "The comments made by the Work and Pensions secretary are concerning and risk increasing the stigma around mental health."
She added: "While latest figures from the DWP do show an increase in the number of people unable to work due to mental health problems, the answer is not to force them into employment regardless. People need to be offered tailored support from experts if they are to return to work, not threats of losing what little money they currently have to live on."
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"That support just isn’t there – with 1.9 million people on waiting lists for NHS mental health services it is clear that the focus should be on improving the system.”
The Centre for Mental Health also said Mr Stride's comments were not based on "robust evidence". The organisation said: "It ignores compelling evidence of rising levels of distress. And it risks belittling people’s struggles and delaying help seeking until it is too late.
"Reducing people’s benefits and putting them at risk of sanctions is harmful and will increase rates of mental ill health. Better support to get work is needed, not the threat of greater impoverishment."
Labour's Shadow DWP minister Alison McGovern told GB News: "The only thing that has gone too far is the Conservative government that has had 14-years to sort out our mental health support." She added: "If I'm honest, I'm at a loss as to understand what Mel Stride is talking about."
The Work and Pensions Secretary's comments also coincided with a new report from the Work and Pensions Committee warning benefit levels in the UK are "too low". It added the shortfalls in support provided through health and disability benefits "were found to have a negative physical and mental health impact on claimants, which in turn could affect their ability to work".
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