He went so far as to compare those on benefits to dogs, which he described as "uber benefits scroungers" while making a suggestion to the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham. Gushing about the gratitude he receives from his three canine companions in return for taking care of them, he suggests Labour should use a similar tack to ease taxpayers' frustrations for working hard to pay for others' benefits while getting nothing in return.

Writing in his column in the Sunday Times he suggested Burnham should force them to show their gratitude to those who support them.

"Every week, when the benefits are paid, the recipient is given the email address of a randomly selected person who is getting up and going to work every day. And they are told that unless a proper and genuine email is sent, thanking the working person for their generosity, the benefits will stop," he suggested.

He also insisted he would expect fulsome and effusive thanks rather than a cursory note. "I want to hear what they’ve done with the £194 I gave them that week....I want to feel their gratitude," he said.

Andy Burnham has pledged to tackle high youth unemployment and reform the education system to support young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET).

The new Prime Minister said he wants “no dead ends” for young people leaving education and for technical pathways to be put on an equal footing with traditional academic routes.

The “prestigious” new technical pathways, which will pair skills training with work experience and connections with local employers, are set to be rolled out from September 2028.