The Conservative shadow minister for disabled people has laid out some of the key differences between his party and the government on the heated and controversial issue of incapacity benefit (IB) reform. Mark Harper MP has expanded on the radical welfare reform programme outlined during the party’s annual conference in Manchester earlier this month. His comments come as many campaigners have expressed alarm at the prospect of a contest between the Conservatives and Labour over which party can sound toughest on IB reform. Harper says he is “well aware” of the “anecdotal evidence” of problems with the operation of the work capability assessment (WCA) – the test for all new claimants of out-of-work disability benefits, which has just passed its first anniversary – particularly for those with mental health and other fluctuating and long-term conditions. There has been a series of warnings from campaigning organisations that the new system is inflexible, riddled with errors and fails to re...