It was unfortunate for Liz Kendall that as she unveiled a cure for sick note Britain, her voice was hoarse and became increasingly croaky during more than an hour of questions from MPs.
But brave Liz, who was at Watford Grammar School for Girls with Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, runs five mornings a week and had a hip replacement this year, so is not one to throw a sickie without good reason.
Indeed, with what she described as the biggest employment reforms for a generation, she gave Labour MPs what they really, really want, while – not surprisingly – Tory MPs claimed she hit all the wrong notes.
Her Get Britain Working white paper even includes plans to give young wannabees the chance to get jobs on the big stage with employers such as the Premier League, Channel 4 and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
A “youth guarantee” – an apprenticeship, training, or education – in areas such as Liverpool, Tees Valley and the East Midlands is one of the three parts of the shake-up by Labour’s Spice Girl.
The others are a digital makeover for stuffy old Jobcentres…
