THE Labour Party was formed to battle for the cause of the underprivileged and the poor. Throughout the 20th Century it carried the torch of social justice, shining its light on oppression.

Now, in a move which some might call interesting and others disturbing, Tony Blair's government is set to turn that torch on the disabled.

It has the belief that as many as 70 per cent of the 2.3 million people who claim incapacity benefit could go back to work at some point.

In other words, it seems to think that vast numbers of disabled people are not disabled at all, that they're nothing more than benefit cheats.

With that in mind, the Government is planning to set up regular checks on those claiming incapacity benefit to make sure they're still disabled.

This is being couched in terms which will probably be familiar to connoisseurs of the spin doctors. The disabled, says Works and Pensions Secretary Alistair Darling, should not be written off or allowed to write themselves off.

Concerns about the levels of benefit fraud in Britain have been a feature of the political landscape for generations.

Clearly, the cheats are society's enemies, stealing from the taxpayer money which should be used to provide services for those in need.

And we're sure there can't be many people who don't know of someone who is bending and breaking the rules by claiming for something to which they are not entitled.

It's justifiable that the Government should pursue the real cheats with vigour. But it must tread carefully when it comes to the disabled.

It isn't difficult to imagine a situation where a government-backed inquisitor zealously pursues someone claiming incapacity benefit, only to find they are in genuine need.

What kind of caring Labour government could preside over a system in which that might happen?