Heseltine accuses Tories of fuelling ‘hate politics’ over plot to strip jobless of free prescriptions

Senior Tories have condemned plans to strip the correct to free prescriptions from advantages claimants who don’t search for work, warning that the federal government dangers descending into the politics of “hate”.

Former deputy prime minister Michael Heseltine stated ministers mustn’t “use the health service as a sanction”.

Doctors’ leaders additionally hit out, accusing the federal government of holding individuals’s well being “to ransom”.

The livid response erupted after the federal government introduced a brand new crackdown that can see those that “coast” on advantages and refuse to take a job lose entry to free prescriptions and dental remedy amongst different issues.

The chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, stated the transfer, which is one plank of a wider “back to work” plan anticipated in subsequent week’s autumn assertion, is important to cease “anyone choosing to coast on the hard work of taxpayers”.

But it sparked a backlash from senior Conservatives, together with former well being ministers.

Tory grandee Lord Heseltine stated he was “all for persuading people to go back to work”, however that the “last thing anyone should do is attack people on health grounds”.

In a warning to the federal government, he added: “I’m wary of zealots’ interests welling up into hate politics – they need to be careful.”

Former well being secretary Stephen Dorrell stated that each one governments face the troublesome query of who ought to obtain advantages, “but making a virtue of withdrawing healthcare support from people who by implication need it is deliberately unpleasant”.

He additionally predicted that the plans could possibly be topic to authorized problem. “It wouldn’t surprise me if there isn’t some clause in one of the human rights pieces [of legislation] that could be used to at least make this arguable in front of a court,” he stated.

Another former Tory well being minister, Steve Brine, stated he was involved as a result of whereas “there are always those who abuse the system, there are many in between who could simply fall further into the margins and drive health inequalities”.

Dr Latifa Patel of the British Medical Association stated the federal government mustn’t maintain “people’s health to ransom, especially when their poor health may be the very reason they are unable to work in the first place”.

“Removing people’s access to the medication that they need would not only be cruel, risking real harm, but also counterintuitive,” she stated, as unwell individuals would pile additional stress and expense onto an already overstretched NHS.

Shadow well being secretary Wes Streeting stated there have been already sanctions for these “taking the mick”, however he added: “I don’t see how limiting people’s access to healthcare is going to be effective or ethical.”

The plans won’t have an effect on anybody with a long-term well being situation or incapacity, or anybody who has kids, sources on the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) stated.

The measures are anticipated to have an effect on tens of hundreds of individuals out of greater than 1,000,000 common credit score claimants. They will kick in if somebody is judged to have been “disengaged” for six months.

As effectively as shedding the correct to free prescriptions, they’d additionally lose entry to cheaper cell phone packages, assist from vitality suppliers, funeral prices and journey low cost schemes.

Tase Oputu, the chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in England, stated the society was “deeply concerned” concerning the inequalities that exist already in relation to prescription expenses and entry to drugs.

“No one should be faced with a financial barrier to getting the medicines they need, regardless of their employment status,” she stated. “Being unable to afford your medicines leads to poor health, lost productivity, and costly and avoidable hospital admissions.”

The DWP has been approached for remark.