Current location:International Insight news portal > travel
DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Will Rayner now tell the whole truth?
International Insight news portal2024-05-22 11:15:28【travel】8People have gathered around
IntroductionAt long last, Greater Manchester Police deign to investigate allegations that Angela Rayner breached
At long last, Greater Manchester Police deign to investigate allegations that Angela Rayner breached electoral law.
It's now seven weeks since The Mail on Sunday first broke this story but, until now, the police have seemed desperate not to get involved. However, after a formal complaint from Tory MP James Daly, they had little option but to act.
They must now establish why the deputy Labour leader was still registered to vote at the ex-council house she owned in Vicarage Road, Stockport, years after apparently moving in with her children and husband at his house in nearby Lowndes Lane.
This may seem a rather technical point, but it leads on to other questions. When she sold Vicarage Road in 2015, Ms Rayner made £48,500 profit. If it was not her main residence, she would have been liable to pay capital gains tax.
Also, she is alleged to have received single person's council tax discount, to which she was not entitled if living elsewhere.
Deputy leader of the labour party Angela Rayner is under investigation for breaking electoral law
Ms Rayner claims Vicarage Road was her 'principal property' but in family social media posts described Lowndes Lane as 'home'. Neighbours at Vicarage Road say she was rarely seen there, and she told one she was the 'landlady'.
There a distinct whiff of arrogance about Labour's attempts to make excuses. Poor Angie is being smeared because she's working class, they say, and a woman, and a Northerner. All utter claptrap, of course.
True, the sums involved are relatively modest, but this is about integrity and accountability. Ms Rayner is forever demanding senior Tories publish their tax affairs, yet when it comes to her own, she pleads privacy. Sheer hypocrisy.
The police must now get to the bottom of this grubby affair. She may be a big noise in Labour, but she is not above the law.
Unfit for purpose
The term 'fit note' has always been a misnomer. It is supposedly an assessment by a health professional of a person's fitness for work after they have been off for seven days or more.
However, as 93 per cent of applicants are designated unfit, they are just old-fashioned sick notes by another name. And boy, are they on the rise.
The annual total doubled between 2016 and 2023 to a staggering 11million, with one in three involving mental or behavioural disorders. Over 70 per cent of these contained no diagnosis of the supposed illness, suggesting GPs are signing them off by rote so applicants can access benefits.
Is it really possible that twice as many people are unfit for work as seven years ago? Or has the system just become a shirkers' charter?
The answer probably lies somewhere in between, but it is surely time for a reset. Languishing on the sick for months, even years is hugely debilitating, especially for the young.
There is also a huge economic imperative to get them back into the workforce. Some 186million working days were lost to sickness and injury last year at a cost of £150billion – almost equivalent to the entire NHS budget.
If Britain is to return to growth and prosperity, this sicknote epidemic must be addressed. Assessments must be more rigorous, with a plan of action to get people back to work quickly and penalties for non-compliance. This is not being cruel, but compassionate.
For many with mental health issues, holding down a fulfilling job could be part of the solution. Sitting idly at home will only compound their problems.
Address of this article:http://switzerland.claboston.org/news-03f199956.html
Very good!(88)
Previous: Wayne Bennett, at 74, signs a 3
Next: Germany far
Related articles
- UK court rules that extension of UK police powers to intervene in protests is unlawful
- Wilyer Abreu drives in a pair of runs as Red Sox complete sweep of reeling Pirates with 6
- Reds pitcher Frankie Montas injured in the first inning against the Angels
- Inside the Los Angeles highway houses: Sky
- Germany and Real Madrid great Toni Kroos to retire after Euro 2024
- 8 shot, 2 men killed at a party in Memphis park
- Jennifer Lopez opts for high
- The Pittsburgh Pirates are reeling after a hot start. And Paul Skenes isn't around
- Blanca Blanco looks incredible in a semi
- Alesha Dixon storms off Britain's Got Talent stage following a contestant's 'offensive' act
Popular articles
Recommended
Time's up after 3 hours as NFL limits interviews for coaches still busy in playoffs
Appeals court keeps alive challenge to Pittsburgh's efforts to remove Columbus statue
The Lyrid meteor shower peaks this weekend, but it may be hard to see it
Forest appears to question integrity of match official after 2
Concussion replacements added for Copa America under the pink substitution pass system
Man United back in another FA Cup final against Man City after narrowly avoiding humiliation
Israel, Iran show restraint. But for how long?
8 shot, 2 men killed at a party in Memphis park
Links
- Luxon says position on Treaty bill clear, but doesn't unequivocally rule it out
- US, Canada, Indigenous Groups Have Proposal to Address Cross
- Protests over government's plans to repeal Smokefree legislation in Auckland and at Parliament
- Woman burned during beauty treatment: 'It was really terrifying'
- Donald Trump disqualified from Maine ballot in US presidential primary
- Former army officer jailed after raping Wellington sex worker
- 'No new guns': Luxon's promise ahead of gun law reform
- Weather expected to worsen in NSW, Queensland
- Cluster fears over new HK virus cases
- Coronavirus: WHO denies withholding information over China pressure