Rishi Sunak Might Want To Rest Up After Critics Demolished His Take On ‘Sick Note Culture’

Rishi Sunak unveiled his plan to get more people back into work by taking on so-called “sick note culture” on Friday – but it has not gone down well online.

The prime minister announced that he was looking to make it harder for people to be signed off work by their GPs after a rise in long term sickness since the pandemic.

While he claimed he would never “dismiss or downplay the illnesses people have”, Sunak also said there is a risk of “over-medicalising the challenges of every day life”.

The PM said this review of the system comes after 11 million fit notes were issued last year – 94% of which were signed off as unfit for work last year.

He said: “We don’t just need to change the sick note, we need to change the sick note culture so the default becomes what work you can do – not what you can’t. ”

However, the executive director of politics a the Tony Blair Institute, Ryan Wain, quickly slammed the PM.

He said: “Characterising our nation’s worsening health as ‘sick note culture’ is a distraction from the real issue.

“If we want to reduce the now record number of people off work the government should address the root causes of long-term sickness.

“That means moving from a healthcare system that treats preventable diseases to one that prevents disease in the first place.”

He added that instead of debating the cause behind this decline in health, politicians should be working to prevent sickness even happening.

Wain was not alone in criticising the PM for his stance, with the feedback coming in thick and fast on social media.

Many suggested that poor mental health may stem from the ongoing problems with our economy and housing market, while others said Sunak – the richest occupant No.10 has ever had – is not in touch with the “challenges of every day life”.