Green and Reeves both call for government to “sack Atos”

This afternoon the Labour leadership called for the government to “sack Atos” after it was revealed that they’re trying to escape early from their fit-to-work test contract. Shadow Minister for Disabled People Kate Green released a statement this afternoon, saying:

“People have been badly let down by Atos which is why Labour has called on the Government to sack them with immediate effect. But changing the contract isn’t enough. It’s time for the government to fundamentally reform Work Capability Assessments so that disabled people who can work are given support they need to find a job.”

That message was re-iterated by Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Rachel Reeves this afternoon. Speaking at an event in Leeds with Ed Miliband, Reeves said that Atos should be “sacked” but that it was the system that needed fixing, and replacing Atos with A4e (for example) wouldn’t be sufficient.