'Lazy and racist'

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July 04, 2023 View online 1 /DWP guidance on benefit assessments forced to be withdrawn over n-word slur A government document that guides doctors on how to assess benefit claims has been withdrawn after it was found to include a racist slur, The Independent can reveal.   The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) guidance, first issued in 2010 to help assess disability benefit claims but still in use until just days ago, referred to Black people as being of the "N*****d race".   The document, referring specifically to assessments for osteoporosis, has now been scrapped after The Independent highlighted that it was still in circulation.   It was signed off by the DWP before being distributed to health professionals employed by Atos, a contractor that runs disability benefit assessments on behalf of the government.   One MP said the document was "lazy and racist" while a prominent race campaigner said the language was based on "colonial tropes" that suggest Black people are "subhuman".   Atos has now apologised and withdrawn the document. The government said it did not condone the language but admitted it had been used.   2 /Fresh Tory infighting sparked by right-wing group's radical immigration plan: 'The last thing we need' Moderates accuse right-wingers of 'trashing the Conservative brand' and making life even easier for Labour 3 /Thousands of businesses can't afford crippling rates on taxpayer-backed Covid loans Exclusive: Figures show £26bn was loaned out to around 100,000 firms under the government-backed scheme, but only one in four have paid off the debt 4 /Motorists forced to pay 6p a litre too much as supermarkets accused of using customers as 'cash cows' Government to force retailers to produce live pricing data after damning investigation into 'rip off' at the pumps 5 /Hundreds of modern slavery cases on hold after Home Office admits 'unlawful' guidance Suella Braverman's lawyers conceded legal challenge from people refused protection under new 'objective evidence' test THE BIG QUESTION How did Mark Cavendish became a Tour de France legend? Mark Cavendish once gave me the look. It was an interview in a hotel lobby in Yorkshire; he was slightly late and apologised profusely, then answered questions about the Tour de France with enthusiasm and detail, writes Lawrence Ostlere. For some reason, I thought 10 minutes of flowing conversation made me his trusted confidant, so I looked him in the eyes and asked: how much do you want to break Eddy Merckx's Tour stage record? He shrugged it off. But what would it mean to you? He went quiet. Wouldn't it crown your legacy? The look was somewhere in the venn diagram of anger and disdain, and I half expected him to walk off. He stayed, but in that brief moment I felt the gentlest prod of his famous spikiness. Cavendish was once asked what he'd learned from a difficult day on the bike. "That journalists sometimes ask some stupid f***ing questions," he replied. Teammates, staff and rivals have all felt Cavendish's sharp tongue. He would slam doors if a stage didn't go to plan. Helmets were thrown. "We stood on the bus after races and screamed at each other," his former leadout man Mark Renshaw tells me. For the full article click here  Enjoy a year of unlimited digital access for just £99 £20 ✓ Full access to Premium news analysis ✓ Advert-free reading across web and app ✓ The Independent Daily Edition newspaper ✓ Puzzles, virtual event tickets and more SUBSCRIBE NOW Watch /Will we see the next generation of talent at this year's Wimbledon? NUMBER OF THE DAY £86,000 – Senior Tory Sajid Javid has suggested that MPs' £86,000 salaries should be doubled – claiming talented people were put off coming to politics because of the pay. Read more QUOTE OF THE DAY "Yeah, but then I have to deal with it."   – A police force has been heavily criticised after an officer appeared to refuse to attend a nearby assault. 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