Thousands of people who falsely claim they can’t stay upright without NHS walking sticks, are costing the tax-payer millions of pounds, says work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith in a speech attacking Britain’s ‘gravity cheats’.
The government believes that too many people have come to rely on the state for support, resulting in a soaring bill for walking sticks and crutches.
‘It costs the tax-payer millions of pounds every year for walking sticks, zimmer frames, crutches and wheelchairs, ‘said Mr Duncan Smith, who wants ‘people to stand on their own two feet, even if they haven’t got any’.
‘Gravity is no excuse,’ Mr Duncan Smith added.
But double-amputee Jim Benjamin disagreed.
‘Talking of gravity,’ Mr Benjamin said, ‘I think this Duncan Smith character must be living on the Moon.’