Daily Express: Leader: Get tough on scroungers 'too stressed' to work

ONCE, a bad back was the magic affliction that got malingerers off work and on to the easy life of benefits. Today, stress is taking over as the shirkers' favourite excuse.

We know life is pretty aggravating under Labour but can it really be so bad that the number of people too stressed to work has risen tenfold? That's stretching credulity a little too far.

The Daily Express recognises that many people are genuinely afflicted by stress and anxiety and to them we extend our sympathy and understanding.

But nearly 52,000 people today cite stress as the reason they need incapacity benefit - whereas in 1995 the figure was under 6,000.

The cost to the taxpayer is a staggering £122million a year and the head of the Taxpayers Alliance is right to question whether stress is just an easy way for scroungers to screw the system.

Under Labour Britain has developed the biggest benefits culture in Europe and being able to sign yourself off means that 14 million working days a year are lost through people claiming to be stressed.

This can't go on or the country will be bankrupt. Stringent independent tests are needed to take the job of putting people on incapacity benefit away from GPs who are often too close to a patient to say "No".