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Prime minister David Cameron continued the policy of successive government of slandering sick and disabled claimants in a misleading speech to the Conservative conference yesterday.

In it he claimed that two and a half million claimants had been '​on the sick'​ and '​claiming welfare, no questions asked'​. He went on to allege that of 1.3 million assessed '​in recent years'​:

"​One million are either able to work, or stopped their claim before their medical assessment had been completed​."​

As well as implying that those who stopped their claim were cheats, rather than simply people who had short-term illnesses and returned to work or JSA as soon as they recovered, Cameron is also using the results of a much harsher test to allege that previous claimants were shirkers rather than genuinely sick.

Far from getting benefits ,'​no questions asked'​ all those in receipt of incapacity benefit had to pass a rigorous test - one of the toughest in the developed world - before being awarded benefits.

But rewriting history is standard practice for the real frauds and cheats who are currently robbing the benefits system.

The relevant text from Cameron'​s speech is reproduced below:

"​We'​ve got to get some sense back into our labour market and get British people back into work. For years you'​ve been conned by governments. To keep the unemployment figures down, they'​ve parked as many people as possible on the sick. Two and a half million, to be exact. Not officially unemployed, but claiming welfare, no questions asked. Now we'​re asking those questions. It turns out that of the 1.3 million people who have put in a claim for the new sickness benefit in recent years. One million are either able to work, or stopped their claim before their medical assessment had been completed.

"​Under Labour they got something for nothing. With us they'​ll only get something, if they give something. If they are prepared to work, we'​re going to help them - and I mean really help them. If you'​ve been out of work and on benefits for five years, a quick session down the job centre and a new CV just isn'​t going to cut it. You need to get your self-esteem and confidence back;​ you need training and skills;​ intensive personal support.

"​Previous​ governments were never willing to make a proper commitment to this, but we have - investing now, so we don'​t pay later. We'​re going to spend up to £​14,000 on some people just to get them trained and back into work. Yes, I know that'​s a lot of money - but it'​s worth it. Let it be us, let it be this government that finally builds an economy where no one is left behind."​