What little hope remained of Andy Burnham tackling the benefits crisis evaporated a fortnight ago when he spoke in almost religious terms about ‘social security’.

Yet his refusal to grasp the welfare nettle looks even more shameful in light of the Conservatives’ roadmap for pushing the work-shy towards the world of employment.

The proposals are beautiful in their simplicity. After six months on the full Universal Credit rate, fit-to-work claimants who haven’t paid enough into the system through previous jobs will have their benefits cut by 30 per cent.

Even more painfully for professional scroungers, the reduced payments will be loaded onto ‘Back to Work’ cards that block cash withdrawals as well as spending on alcohol, cigarettes and horses.

It comes after Kemi Badenoch’s commitment to scrap the tourist tax, which would deliver a £4billion boost to Britain’s high streets. She has also pledged to abolish stamp duty, reverse the Family Farm Tax and investigate ways of getting rid of inheritance tax.

Full credit to Kemi Badenoch for resolving to put an end to a hand-outs culture that is unjustifiable, unsustainable and – most of all – deeply unfair to the hard-working majority

These are moves that would benefit millions of taxpayers who choose to go to work every day instead of sitting at home on the couch in a state of suspended animation. Little wonder that the Tories are nosing ahead of Reform UK in recent opinion polls.

By contrast, Labour continues to clearly signal its determination to penalise the conscientious and reward the feckless.

Being in receipt of state benefits should never be a lifestyle choice. Full credit to Mrs Badenoch for resolving to put an end to a hand-outs culture that is unjustifiable, unsustainable and – most of all – deeply unfair to the hard-working majority.

Uncomfortable truth

It was no surprise that the National Centre for Information Defence was dubbed ‘the Ministry for Truth’ almost as soon as it was announced by the Prime Minister.

Despite No 10’s insistence that the new unit is being established to intercept ‘hostile state’ attacks, the Orwellian connotations are hard to escape. Nor does the Left have an unblemished reputation when it comes to safeguarding free speech.

Just a few short years ago, then Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn responded to negative media coverage by warning that ‘change is coming’ – widely seen as a threat to muzzle unsympathetic newspapers. Only last month Green Party leader Zack Polanski suggested that the Press needed to be ‘sorted out’.

It also comes after a Labour green paper outlined a sinister proposal to force social media platforms to promote so-called ‘trustworthy’ sources, including the BBC, in an apparent bid to counter fake news.

But it shouldn’t be forgotten that the PM is leading one of the most ideological governments in British parliamentary history. Do we really want him and his Cabinet colleagues deciding what we can watch and read?

PM owes President

If the PM was expecting his first official trip to the US to be something of a honeymoon, he will have been disappointed.

But despite looking weak and foolish as Donald Trump rubbished the Chagos Islands deal, Mr Burnham should be relieved.

The agreement to surrender the islands was always a calamitous idea. But everything suggests that Mr Burnham – right up until he travelled to New York – simply hadn’t the gumption to walk away from it.

Now we are told that the Government is reviewing the deal ‘because the United States doesn’t support it’. Whether the PM wants to admit it or not, he owes President Trump a debt of gratitude for getting him off the hook.