Boris Johnson could consider working in a pub to avoid “early retirement”, Labour’s shadow work and pensions secretary has joked.
Jonathan Ashworth asked whether Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride would give the same advice to the 59-year-old Mr Johnson as he has to other over-50s who have left the labour market before the state pension age.
Mr Ashworth drew attention to the ex-prime minister’s future employment ahead of a Commons debate on the sanctions he should face after being found to have misled the House by a cross-party committee of MPs.
During work and pensions questions, which took place on Mr Johnson’s 59th birthday, the Labour frontbencher also raised the falling number of disability work coaches employed by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
There's been a very prominent 59-year-old who has just taken early retirement. Will he be voting to sanction him or is he advising him to just go away and work in the pub?— Jonathan Ashworth
The DWP is currently trying to coax over-50s who took early retirement after the pandemic back into work to boost economic activity.
Mr Ashworth told the Commons: “I was recently listening to the Chopper’s Politics podcast where the Secretary of State was the guest.
“He revealed that he is telling his friends in their 50s who are not working, he is saying to them ‘why don’t you just go and serve in the local restaurant or do something in the pub?’
“Well, there’s been a very prominent 59-year-old who has just taken early retirement. Will he be voting to sanction him or is he advising him to just go away and work in the pub?”
Mr Stride replied: “I am happy to meet him in any pub that he cares to name and I am sure that we will have a very convivial evening.
“I did also mention people that have accountancy qualifications and others, so it is not all about the pub, alas.”
Mr Ashworth continued: “He will know that we need to do more to get the long-term sick and the disabled back to work.
“The increase in the working age disability benefit bill is going to go up to £25 billion. It was £19 billion pre-pandemic.
“Yet in the last 12 months, the number of disability employment advisers has been cut by 10% by the department. Why is that?”
In answer to a written question from Mr Ashworth, the DWP revealed it employed 780 disability employment advisers as of June 2023, down from 860 at the same time last year.
The number stood at 720 in June 2021, and before that was much lower at 190 in June 2020, and 100 in 2019.
Mr Stride responded: “When it comes to the long-term sick and disabled, he is absolutely right, that is the one cohort – among others where inactivity is reducing – that is in fact increasing.
“He will be aware of our white paper and the forthcoming legislation that we have planned to look at making sure we focus for those who are long-term sick on what they can do in work rather than what they can’t.
“He will be aware of universal support. He will be aware also of the work well pilot. All of which together will help to bring those numbers down.”
DWP minister Tom Pursglove had earlier insisted the Government is “committed” to a disability action plan after Labour raised concerns over having “very few details”.
Shadow minister for disabled people Vicky Foxcroft said: “We don’t know whether or not it will be co-produced and ultimately it’s unlikely to result in any changes before the next election.
“Now, how many years does the minister’s party need to take meaningful action? And I’ll tell the minister who is disappointed, it’s disabled people with 13 years of this Conservative government.”
Mr Pursglove replied: “The fact is that this Government is committed to a disability action plan that will respond, I’m confident, to the many issues that are raised with us by disabled people.
“We’ll have full consultation around those plans to make sure that we get this right and that will, of course, involve disabled people, because this is an opportunity to get on and deliver on these areas over the course of the next 12 to 18 months. I think that’s a good thing that I’m sure we should all be able to welcome.”
