Shame on me, given my job, but only since the pandemic have I really started to understand how threadbare the UK& #39;s safety net has become. Take statutory sick pay. The UK is now at the very bottom of all OECD countries. Even Trump& #39;s America is doing more.

Some examples of other countries, versus the UK https://www.ft.com/content/51aea217-4da7-423a-9e77-50eea30fe903">https://www.ft.com/content/5...

There& #39;s a hard-headed reason to raise sick pay: that otherwise some people won& #39;t isolate because they can& #39;t afford to (the people reliant only on SSP are disproportionately in jobs that can& #39;t be done from home.) Skimping is a false economy.

But there& #39;s also a point of principle, isn& #39;t there? Brits are proud of the idea behind the NHS, that no-one in our country should face a financial hit because they had the bad luck to get ill. But actually, with sick pay like this, that& #39;s just not true in 21st century Britain.