Farage: Lowest paid workers better off if they claim to have anxiety

Nigel Farage has claimed that lower-paid workers are “better off” if they claim that they have anxiety. Holding a news conference in London on Monday (3 November), he said that the UK is in an “economic mess” and outlined Reform UK’s monetary policies if the party wins the next election. Specifically discussing benefits, he claimed that the benefits bill has “boomed to over 300 billion”, which he said is “more than the cost of the NHS and defence combined”. “So things aren't happening, work isn’t even paying. Our million lowest-paid workers would all be better off if they claimed to have mild anxiety. That is the level of mess that we’re in,” he said. Under the government's current Personal Independence Payment (PIP) eligibility criteria, a person may be able to claim the mobility part of PIP if they have difficulty getting around because of a cognitive or mental health condition, like anxiety.