It’s not shameless or irresponsible to prioritise cash for genuinely needy by weeding out scroungers

Why is Wes less wise on welfare?

“SICK notes are dished out willy-nilly . . . ”

“It has become so overwhelming, and the pressure on general practice so high.”

No, not the words of Rishi Sunak announcing his new crackdown on the “sick note” culture that has sent the numbers signed off work spiralling.

They were spoken by Labour’s refreshingly honest Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting in an interview with this paper last year.

At the time, we rightly praised him for talking sense.

But now the PM is getting tough, Labour has taken a softer stance.

Mr Streeting declared the policy was a “shameless and irresponsible” attack on mental health.

It’s another example of Labour talking a good game, but stepping back when it comes to the crunch of making cutbacks.

Britain is crying out for genuine welfare reform. It is not shameless or irresponsible to prioritise cash for the genuinely needy by weeding out workshy scroungers.

In last year’s interview, Mr Streeting also vowed: “If the NHS doesn’t reform it will die.”

If Labour win power will he stay true to this mantra?

Or, as with sick notes, will we find the party reverting to type and throwing billions more of taxpayer cash at every crisis?

Assassins’ free hand

IT IS terrifying that Iranian hit-squads are wandering our streets ready to take out political opponents of their rogue regime.

The 15 planned kidnappings or murders uncovered by our security services are just the tip of an iceberg.

The words of the latest victim, dissident journalist Pouria Zeraati, who was knifed outside his London home, are haunting. He said: “This is not an attack on just me . . .  it’s an attack of the values of a country that has been my home since 2007.”

Rishi Sunak has so far refused to outlaw Iran’s brutal Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

But how long can he keep open diplomatic links with a regime prepared to murder our own citizens in our own capital city?

No escaping farce

THE migrants farce goes from bad to worse.

In the last 13 years the number of illegal immigrants and foreign criminals deported by the Home Office after requesting to go back home has fallen by 40 per cent.

So not only are we unable to kick out those trying to stay in the UK despite having no genuine right to be here.

We can’t even send back those who are desperate to leave.