Labour have accused the Tories of turning Britain into the “sick man of Europe” as the number of people on long-term sick reaching a record 2.6 million.
And the number is rising nearly twice as fast in the North of England, where ministers have promised to “level up” communities as it is in the South.
Jonathan Ashworth, Labour ’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary blamed record NHS waiting times and out of date benefit rules for trapping people out of work.
“The Tories are turning Britain into the sick man of Europe. They’ve given us record NHS waiting lists and record numbers unable to work because of sickness,” he said.
“Hopeless Tory Ministers are failing to ensure people have the support they need to get back to work – and families across the country are paying the price.”
Since the Covid-19 pandemic there has been a 12.4% rise in the number of people economically inactive due to sickness North East, the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber.
That compares to a rise of just 6.9 per cent across London, the South East and the South West.
Mr Ashworth urged the government to accept Labour’s plan to reform welfare rules, making it easier for people with ill health to return to work if they can.
Labour would change the rules on work capability assessments, which made some people fearful of accepting job offers because it would mean having to start from scratch with their benefits if their job didn’t work out.
Labour has pledged to guarantee a “bridge back”, so people in that position would be able return to benefits without the need for another lengthy assessment process.
A Government Spokesperson said: “We are leaving no stone unturned to get more people working and we are making progress, with overall inactivity numbers falling by nearly 300,000 since the middle of last year, including by 156,000 in the last quarter.
“Supporting people who are not working due to sickness is a key priority for this government, with £3.5 billion of additional investment at the last Budget to get more people into work, including £2 billion targeted at those who are sick and disabled.
“This includes investment in a new Universal Support programme to get people into jobs and support them to stay in work, and a Workwell programme to help people gain faster access to health and employment support.
“We have placed employment advisers in NHS talking therapies across the country to join up health and work and are rolling this out to other healthcare settings, as well as investing in digital health treatments and bringing down NHS waiting lists.”
