Disability benefits shake-up may let people still claim after return to work

Commuters heading to work in Manchester. It has been suggested the work capability assessment used to assess benefits eligibility could be scrapped. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian

A shake-up of disability benefits could allow people to keep claiming the payments after they return to work and include tax breaks for getting jobs under plans being considered by ministers.

The government is thinking of ways to coax people back into work given the rising number of working-age adults who have a long-term sickness, following apparent concerns about fulfilling Rishi Sunak’s pledge of achieving economic growth by the end of the year.