IT SHOULD be obvious that our welfare system cannot be, as one Whitehall source puts it, a “one-way street”.
But the reality is that being on handouts has for too long been allowed to become a cul-de-sac for those signed off sick and left to languish on the jobs scrapheap.
A staggering 2.8million Brits are on long-term sickness benefits, many because of mental health problems like depression.
This has sent our welfare and pensions bill soaring to over £300billion, and it is the taxpayer who picks up the tab.
Meanwhile, businesses can’t find enough staff — hobbling our economy.
Some people genuinely cannot work. For them, the welfare state must always be there as a safety net.
But many others are perfectly capable of returning to jobs, and simply lack the support or motivation to do so.
Sir Keir Starmer’s new one-stop-shop job and health centres sound like a good first step.
But he must not be scared to stop signing benefits cheques to those who can, but refuse, to work.
Some Labour MPs may be wobbly. The PM must stick to his guns and make the case for welfare reform.
WATCHING a loved one dying in pain and distress is heartbreaking.
So it is easy to argue the case for helping them end their suffering.
But MPs who will vote within weeks whether to legalise assisted suicide for the terminally ill must exercise extreme caution.
Such a change could have devastating unintended consequences, such as elderly people feeling pressured to end their lives prematurely.
Of course, safeguards can be built into laws. But these can be eroded over time.
The Government should provide the best possible care and pain management for those at the end of their lives.
Not create a slippery slope that makes an already frightening time even more daunting.
IF ANYONE knows the importance of keeping the Falklands British, and the sacrifices made to that end, it is Simon Weston.
The Welsh Guards veteran suffered life-changing burns fighting for his country in the Falklands War 42 years ago.
So when he urges Sir Keir Starmer to guarantee the Falklands’ future after the jaw-dropping Chagos Islands capitulation, the PM would be wise to listen.
Sir Keir must loudly and publicly tell Argentina: We will never surrender.
If he fails, then Britain really does risk becoming the sick man of Europe again.
