The Canary has reported on disability and mental health since its founding – particularly in relation to how the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) handles these issues. As such, we can confidently state that there is no real difference in how the previous Tory governments viewed disabled people and how the current Labour Party government does. This means that conditions are still worsening for society’s most vulnerable people, with Labour continuing the squeeze on their living conditions.
All this was achingly apparent when health secretary Wes Streeting appeared on this week’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg:
Wes Streeting says there is overdiagnosis of mental health conditions. #bbclaurak pic.twitter.com/Ht0zgNzAs9
— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) March 16, 2025
Continuity Tory at the DWP
Speaking to Streeting, Kuenssberg said:
One of the areas where you are, we understand, gonna try and claw back money, [is people who’ve] been signed off because of mental health problems. Now in the last few days, it’s interesting, the prominent neurologist, Suzanne O’Sullivan, has said there’s overdiagnosis of mental health problems.
Firstly, let’s point out the language used here – particularly the ‘clawed back’ part. This is the way you speak about someone who has stolen money and are refusing to give it up; not people with mental health problems who are simply trying to exist in the bleak reality of modern Britain.
The other thing to note is that O’Sullivan has indeed published a book in which she makes a case that we are over-diagnosing health conditions. As the Week reported, other medical professionals have other opinions, but Kuenssberg doesn’t make that clear.
The book from O’Sullivan is new, so we’ll have to wait to see how it holds up to criticism, but as of right now it’s worth understanding that the broader media has happily accepted her central argument, because it’s very much in line with pre-existing health narratives:
It’s no secret why the establishment hate the idea of workers being ‘on the sick’ in the hellish late-stage capitalist world we live in – a system which requires low-paid disposable workers to function (it’s also no surprise that poor mental health has increased alongside income inequality and job insecurity). And believe us when we say that books and studies which go against mainstream narratives rarely receive the same attention.
Leading questions
Kuenssberg finished her DWP-related question to Streeting as follows:
Your colleague, Liz Kendall, when she was here, talked about the problems of self diagnosis when people feel that they might have a condition. Do you believe, as a health secretary, that too many people are being treated as sick and incapable of work for essentially struggling with what are quite normal feelings.
This technique – in which you present an answer and ask if the guest wishes to accept it – is what’s known as a ‘leading question’, and it betrays Kuenssberg’s own thoughts on the matter. These people aren’t mentally unwell; they’re simply having normal feelings – the sort of ‘normal feelings’ people must have when their horrible lives become increasingly precarious – but that’s just progress, I’m afraid.
Streeting also betrayed his feelings by accepting Kuenssberg’s answer entirely:
Well, I want to follow the evidence, and I I agree with that point about overdiagnosis.
But, here’s the other thing. I mean, mental, well-being, illness, it’s a spectrum. Right? And…
Kuenssberg interjected at this point to reaffirm that he believed that there was “overdiagnosis”, even though he’d literally just done that. She isn’t simply a attack dog for continuity Conservatism; she’s an XL Bully on bathsalts.
Callous and cruel
Streeting continued:
I think there’s definitely there’s an overdiagnosis, but also there are too many people being written off.
And to your point about treatment, there’s too many people who just aren’t getting the support they need. So if you can get that support to people much earlier, then you can help people to either stay in work or to get back to work, and that’s why we’re recruiting eight and a half thousand more mental health staff to make sure we can get the waiting list down, and also starting early. So making sure we’ve got mental health support in every primary and secondary school in the country so we can give people that those that resilience and those coping skills.
Labour wanting to recruit more mental health staff is a good thing. From direct experience, the Canary and its writers can confirm that the mental health support offered currently is basically non-existent, and that even that which does exist is often more about ticking boxes than providing support.
As such, it’s not unrealistic to think that increasing actual mental health support could genuinely help people and reduce the number of people who require long-term support.
The doctor knows best
But there are two problems still:
- As far as we can tell, Labour’s plans to reduce the number of people claiming DWP PIP aren’t reliant on this mental health support actually working. Their plan seems to be to change the eligibility requirements to drop people out of PIP, which almost certainly isn’t going to help people with mental health problems – especially as we’re probably years away from this team of mental health support staff being in place.
- Labour is talking out of both sides of its mouth on this issue. On the one hand, they’re claiming they think people are suffering mental health issues, but the issue is that these issues are being prolonged by a lack of access to health. They’re also claiming that DWP claimants are “taking the mickey” – i.e. they’re pretending to be unwell to claim the pitiful entitlements that exist in this country. The first point they’re making is to try and appease sick and disabled people (and rebel MPs); the second point is the one they’re pitching to the media, as is made clear by Kuenssberg’s next intervention:
But you do believe there’s a problem with overdiagnosis. What then would your message then be to medical professionals watching this?
Yes, what message should medical professionals take from Wes Streeting and Laura Kuenssberg – two people who know fuck all about medicine?
We’d say this would be like doctors advising Streeting and Kuenssberg on how to do their jobs, but let’s be honest – it would be hard to provide advice which made them worse.
The new nasty party hits the DWP again
As you’d expect, the Streeting interview is going down poorly:
Streeting’s a fucking rotten, Bought & paid for MP, who’s taken over £300k in dodgy Donations from private healthcare firms since he’s been in Office.
Public information Laura wouldn’t Dream of bringing up, because she’s politically aligned with the state & paid handsomely for it https://t.co/7rui1oMUXW— Michael Walsh (@thatbloodyMikey) March 16, 2025
He's a doctor now then ? No, he's been sent out to tout cutting peoples money to force vulnerable people into work they cant do.
— Jen Wood – est optimum simpliciter (@unojen_wood) March 16, 2025
STOP CALLING PIP A BENEFIT FFS !!!
It's an entitlement, that we all pay towards, to help our sick and disabled brothers and sisters support themselves, or to support us when we we fall sick or become disabled.#bbclaurak
— Interim Genocide Manager (@respeak_uk) March 16, 2025
Same old tired rhetoric.
Work, work, work, work. Get back to work you feckless lazy scroungers.
For many people it's work that *causes* their mental sickness.
Not that the likes of Streeting or Kuenssberg would ever admit that.
— Brian Harris (@harrisimo) March 16, 2025
One X user made a point that agrees with the need for more mental health professionals:
Overdiagnosis of mental health problems? How many people are assessed by a psychiatrist or psychologist? Hardly any!! GPs aren't qualified to diagnose mental health conditions but the reality is that they are the only medical professionals people have access to. #bbclaurak
— Sue Kelly (@SueKellyUK) March 16, 2025
Again, though, it’s worth pointing out that if increasing the number of mental health workers will reduce the people who need DWP PIP, why make it harder to qualify for PIP? We’re also eager to find out how many of Streeting’s “mental health staff” will be qualified medical professionals and not just social security hatchet men who complete an eight-week course on counselling.
It’s also worth noting that not everyone in the media is as callous as Kuenssberg (although Susanna Reid does seem to implicitly accept that some cuts are necessary):
Susanna Reid on how the Labour govt has gone out of its way to deliberately cause stress and anxiety to some of the most vulnerable people in our society #bbclaurak pic.twitter.com/pD9SENvvKH
— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) March 16, 2025
Susanna Reid: "If it looks like [Starmer] is using cuts to welfare to pay for war I'm not sure that's going to be popular at all" #bbclaurak pic.twitter.com/InkUbfPgVH
— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) March 16, 2025
The Green Party, meanwhile, suggested that Streeting is just another bought-and-paid-for shill:
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has received £311,400 from private healthcare interests since entering Parliament.
Could that be reason he's such a fan of private involvement in our health service?
The Green Party is clear – private profit motive should be nowhere near the NHS. pic.twitter.com/PmZpyhgqHr
— The Green Party (@TheGreenParty) March 14, 2025
Work will set you free
In another interview, Streeting argued that work is actually the cure to people’s problems:
'The welfare system is unsustainable.'
Health Secretary @wesstreeting argues that 'work is good for your mental health' and that too many people are being signed off. pic.twitter.com/bvDQ2IfuUA
— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 16, 2025
This may be true for a rewarding career with great benefits, but for many in 2025 ‘work’ means stagnating wages, increased job insecurity, and an overriding sense that things are only going to get worse.
Too bad Labour is also going back on some of its measures to boost workers’ rights.
Featured image via the BBC
