Sickness benefit claimants should look for work - PM

Keir Starmer has said he believes that people claiming long-term sickness benefits should be expected to look for work.

He added that there would be "hard cases" and that the government and businesses should help those who may feel anxious about re-entering the workplace, but that the "basic proposition that you should look for work is right".

The prime minister was speaking to the BBC's Today programme, following his party conference speech in which he said he wanted to "level" with the country about the "trade-offs" people would face.

He told Labour activists: "If we want to maintain for the welfare state, then we will legislate to stop benefit fraud, do everything we can to tackle worklessness."

Following the speech, he was asked in an interview with the Today programme if 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 .

"That's why I've gone out to look at schemes where businesses are ing 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":[]}