The chancellor said there were one million vacancies in the economy, while more than 100,000 people a year were signed off for sickness and disability, with no requirement to work.
Jeremy Hunt called this a “waste of potential” that was “wrong economically and wrong morally”, and outlined a “back to work” plan to get people with health conditions into jobs.
He announced that, after 18 months of support and a further six months help with placements, those who “refuse to engage” would have their benefits stopped.
