15 scathing responses to Richard Tice’s claim that mental health problems are ‘like modern-day back pain’ – an excuse to claim unnecessary benefits
Reform UK’d deputy leader Richard Tice, whose background is in property investment, has brought all the weight of his professional experience to the debate on the welfare system.
Tice, the MP for Boston and Skegness, who divides his time between London and Dubai spoke to LBC’s Tom Swarbrick and its listeners, who heard his response to a question about autism and ADHD from a caller named Alex.
‘How dare you compare my condition to back pain… I am literally shaking in anger.’
Reform’s Richard Tice gets into a debate with caller Alex after saying mental health is an excuse to avoid work, ‘like modern-day back pain.’ pic.twitter.com/Z9wbxZHA6b
— LBC (@LBC) March 27, 2025
Alex was far from the only person feeling angry about the accusations by the former MEP, who famously tweeted about protecting the UK fishing industry while absent from a parliamentary debate on – you guessed it – the UK fishing industry.
These posts give a sense of the mood.
1.
Hey @TiceRichard , I live with Bipolar disorder. Next time I go through a manic episode, you are free to come round and spend the day/week with me and we see if you will compare ti to a " modern day back pain"
— Dr Mariana Claire Marinovic (@DrMarianaClaire) March 27, 2025
2.
“Work will set you free”
Where have we heard that before? https://t.co/vaa0BYr75y
— Miffy (@miffythegamer) March 27, 2025
3.
Richard Tice on #LBC offering absolutely no evidence or data to back up a single thing he’s talking about
“Many”, “lots, “millions” is all it ever is with these populists
— David (@Zero_4) March 27, 2025
4.
Clearly not had back pain before!
— Mathew Cook (@TheMatster) March 27, 2025
5.
Richard Tice currently soiling himself live on @LBC
My word Reform are f@cking vile aren’t they
— Dean ️ (@deanbegley1) March 27, 2025
6.
Completely void of empathy. Shame on you, @TiceRichard You clearly have absolutely no clue how debilitating severe mental illness can be. Where sleep is the only sanctuary (if no nightmares) & waking up in the morning fills you with dread.
Disgusting excuse of a "man"— Minnie (@TwiggyTwonk) March 27, 2025
7.
He’s so wrong… both about mental illnesses and about musculoskeletal pain
— Adam Fare (@adamfare1996) March 27, 2025
8.
If you suffer with mental health Richard Tice and reform party think you are making it up
— Just Dave Now (@justdave89now) March 27, 2025
9.
One of the sickest takes you will hear on disability
NEVER FORGETReform deputy says mental health is modern equivalent of ‘back pain’ – and disabled people are ‘swinging the lead’https://t.co/NUFwuE95ZX
— dave lawrence (@dave43law) March 27, 2025
10.
Fair warning from Richard Tice about Reform UKs attitude to Mental Health. A lazy elitist trope reflecting an ignorance of the reality that many people do work on through mental ill health and that for some people, poor mental health is as significantly debilitating as other more… https://t.co/GRDCh8v4cU
— Robbie Butler MLA (@RobbieButlerMLA) March 27, 2025
11.
I know a lot of people believe this, same as they don't believe in climate change, or dinosaurs, & it needs to be treated the same way.
There are tens of thousands of scientific articles on mental & neurological health. Denying its real is not an intellectually serious position. https://t.co/piLu2KrXSF
— Simon J Dixon (@WoodinRivers) March 27, 2025
12.
Doctors must be all wrong then
— Sport Nick (@NickUK779) March 27, 2025
13.
People with old school back pain are going…. pic.twitter.com/4LQNqr89Z0
— Ben (@bennn222) March 27, 2025
14.
Disgraceful, if I hadn’t left Reform, I would be now. My mental health doesn’t make me ‘a little bit down’ its not ‘just a bad day’. It’s crippling, it’s ongoing, I have battles every single day, but I’m not depressed. Mental health is so much more, this rhetoric is disgraceful
— Melissa ️ (@Melissa_suze) March 27, 2025
15.
Hate people that belittle mental health issues to just “having a bad day or feeling down” https://t.co/6MKAMchzhB
— Will Moxon (@moxon_will) March 27, 2025
Tice has been banging that ‘benefits scroungers’ drum so hard, we wouldn’t be surprised if he developed a bad back.
"It's too easy for too many people who are perfectly healthy, to not go to work."
Reform's Richard Tice backs Labour's plan to cut disability benefits. pic.twitter.com/tK1qyXg0Rz
— PoliticsJOE (@PoliticsJOE_UK) March 26, 2025
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Source LBC Image Screengrab