One of the rationales behind the government's announcement today was that Britain simply "can't afford" the current levels of sickness benefit and it was "not fair on taxpayers".
Rishi Sunak made a point of stating that those who are anxious or depressed should be expected to work saying that while "“we should see it as a sign of progress that people can talk openly about mental health conditions in a way that only a few years ago would've been unthinkable" - he was also concerned that 53% of people inactive due to long term sickness reported they had depression, bad nerves or anxiety.