In echoes of Lord Tebbit, who in 1981 urged the public to copy his own father who "got on his bike to look for work", he said that people must be prepared to travel outside their own town to find employment. He told the BBC's Newsnight that "in fairness" to those on low incomes who pay taxes to support the disadvantaged people on unemployment benefit should "make some reasonable effort to get work".
The Work and Pensions Secretary insisted that jobs were available "fairly evenly" up and down the country and said that around 450,000 jobs were created every week within job centres. He added that within the casual economy there would be a similar number of jobs available. When he was given the example of people living in Blaenau Gwent in the south Wales valleys who claimed there was no work available Mr Duncan-Smith said they should be prepared to travel to find jobs.
"The truth is there are jobs. They may not be absolutely in the town you are living in. They may be in a neighbouring town," he said, citing Merthyr Tydfil as an example of people who had become "static" and who "didn't know if they got on the bus an hour's journey they'd be in Cardiff and they could look for the job there". He added: "We need to recognise the jobs don't always come to you. Sometimes you need to got to the jobs."
When asked if he was paraphrasing Lord Tebbit he answered: "People who are in work on low marginal incomes are paying quite significant sums in tax to help people who are in really difficult circumstances through the benefit system. We need to see some fairness to them too. They should expect therefore that when there is work available people should make reasonable effort to take that work." He claimed that the new government work programme would target the long term unemployed and make them ready for the workplace.
