Will poor health hold back the UK economy? – podcast

New data comes from National Bureau of Statistics Figures show 2.8 million people are classed as not looking for work because of health problems – up from the previous estimate of 2.6 million and up a third from the 2.1 million before the Covid-19 pandemic.

As economics editor of The Guardian, Larry Elliott, Tell Hannah Moore, This is an alarming increase, and everyone has their own, often complex, circumstances. There are no easy solutions. But this didn’t happen out of nowhere: While the pandemic has clearly had a huge impact on physical and mental health, many of the underlying trends have been evident for decades. NHS waiting lists have tripled in length since the Conservatives came to power in 2010.

We hear the stories of two people who were demoralized by being forced out of their jobs due to health problems and angry at the label given to them by some media outlets as the ‘sick note of the generation’.

On Wednesday, Jeremy Hunt will deliver his final budget before the election. Will he do anything to address his growing long-term illness?

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