内容摘要：As chair of her local macula support group, she said many in her position share the same concerns.

As chair of her local macula support group, she said many in her position share the same concerns.

"That's why I've gone out to look at schemes where businesses are supporting people back into work from long-term sickness."Quite often, I think what lies behind this is a fear for someone who's been on long term sickness that - 'can they get back into the workplace? Are they going to be able to cope? Is it all going to go hopelessly wrong?'"

The inactivity rate - the number of people out of work and not looking for a job - surged during the Covid pandemic and has since remained at a persistently high level.Nearly 3 million people are out of work due to ill health, a 500,000 increase on 2019.The Office for Budget Responsibility says the cost of sickness and disability benefits will increase by £30bn in the next five years.

Following Sir Keir's conference speech, Labour announced that doctors, expert in speeding up operations, would be sent to areas with the highest number of people out of work due to ill health.Health Secretary Wes Streeting set out the measure to Labour activists on the last day of the conference in Liverpool.

He said "the best of the NHS" would help "get sick Brits back to health and back to work".

Speaking to the BBC, the prime minister was also pressed on other trade-offs he listed in his speech including the argument that the public had to accept pylons if they wanted cheaper electricity.The remaining eight were undetermined or remain under investigation, it said.

The Glasgow University team behind the report said the overall level of deaths in custody last year was the highest since modern records began, in 1995, and almost certainly the highest ever."That rise is absolutely stunning. It's unprecedented," said Professor Sarah Armstrong who led the research.

The report also said prison deaths from suicide had been rising since 2016 and may have reached a record high last year.Prof Armstrong said she was encouraged by the SPS reaction to a report into the deaths of