Tories are making Britain 'the sick man of Europe' - with the north twice as hard hit as the south

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Jonathan Ashworth, Labour's shadow work and pensions secretary, has blamed record NHS waiting times and outdated benefit rules for trapping unemployed people

Labor said people lacked the support they needed to get back to work (

Image: Getty Images

Labour has accused the Tories of making Britain 'the sick man of Europe', with the number of people on long-term illness reaching a record 2.6million.

And the number is growing almost twice as fast in the north of England, where ministers have promised to 'level up' communities, as they are in the south.

Jonathan Ashworth, Labour's shadow work and pensions secretary, has blamed record NHS waiting times and outdated benefit rules for trapping people out of work.

“The Tories are making Britain the sick man of Europe. They have given us record NHS waiting lists and record numbers of incapacity for work due to illness,” a- he said.

"Hopeless Tory ministers are failing to ensure people get the support they need to get back to work - and families across the country are paying the price."

Jonathan Ashworth blamed long NHS waiting lists and outdated benefit rules (

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Getty Images)

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of people who are economically inactive due to illness has increased by 12.4% in the North East, North West and Yorkshire and the Humber.

This compares to an increase of just 6.9% in London, South East and South West.

Mr. Ashworth urged the government to accept Labour's plan to reform welfare rules, making it easier for those in poor health to return to work, if they can.

Labour is said to be changing the rules on work capacity assessments, which has made some people fearful of accepting job offers because it would mean having to start from scratch with their...