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Isabel Oakeshott’s plan to make benefits claimants pick litter got absolutely trashed – 16 tidy comebacks

Oonagh Keating. Updated May 1st, 2024

Over at Telegraph Towers, the genius behind the UK’s largest satirical publication has given the go-ahead for yet another column straight from the ‘flog the poor’ school of thought.

This week’s frontperson for what can only be the work of Armando Iannucci or Chris Morris is ghost-writer extraordinaire (Pig’s head edition), and almost permanent fixture on the BBC’s political magazines, Isabel Oakeshott, who has a solution to the problem of litter and benefit claimants.

Get benefits claimants back to work – cleaning our filthy streets Not far off half a million young people are on out-of-work benefits, the vast majority of whom would be able to do some work

Here’s a flavour of her think piece.

“Not far off half a million young people aged 18 to 24 are on out-of-work benefits …

Many complain of mental health problems that might well be alleviated by fresh air; camaraderie, and a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. The physical exercise associated with compulsory litter-picking sessions surely wouldn’t go amiss.”

Her column was shared on Twitter/X by Richard Tice, who is coincidentally the partner of Ms Oakeshott and the leader of the right-wing Reform UK limited company (if you don’t count the de facto leader, Nigel Farage).

Let’s make Welfare work….. Let’s get Benefits claimant’s cleaning Britain…. Let’s ignore the howls of woke lefties….

It’s unlikely to be a coincidence that Reform UK’s only MP, 30p Lee Anderson, has been banging on about litter in Blackpool recently, and was namechecked in the column.

Her plan wasn’t exactly met with enthusiasm.

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Forced labour isn’t her first foray into Dickensian workhouse-owner mentality. Here’s an Oakeshott classic.

READ MORE

Isabel Oakeshott wants the ‘untapped resource’ of sick and disabled people to stop mucking about on benefits

Source Telegraph Image Screengrab, Screengrab