Labour urged to act on rising benefits fraud online

The Conservative Party has urged the Labour government to address the rise of "sickfluencers," individuals who share online tips on how to exploit the benefits system. They propose making it a crime to assist in benefits fraud. Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Helen Whately highlighted a significant increase in sickness benefit claims since the pandemic. She stated that the rise cannot solely be attributed to lockdown challenges and called for action against those promoting fraudulent claims. The Tories plan to introduce an amendment to the Fraud Bill this week to create a specific offense for aiding benefits fraud. This follows a Channel 4 program revealing popular online accounts that provide advice on obtaining disability benefits.