A “new deal” on sick pay is needed for workers, Priti Patel and Sir Robert Buckland have said, with the pair of former Cabinet ministers calling for an extension of statutory sick pay from day one of illness.

Statutory sick pay is currently £110 per week, but the two senior Conservatives – who both served under Boris Johnson – are calling for “simple tweaks” amid concerns that the Government is currently “subsidising low sick pay”.

In a joint article, the pair wrote: “Our remarkable track record of getting people off benefits and back into work risks being held back by the challenge of ill health and the huge knock-on costs that come with it.

“Simple tweaks to the system would ensure all workers get sick pay paid by their employer from day one if they are ill”

The pair argue that the changes would offer a boost to the British economy.

“Changes to sick pay could complement other measures already announced in Jeremy Hunt’s Back to Work budget and encourage this group to return to work and play their part in Britain’s economy,” they said.

The latest official figures show that the number of people off work due to long-term sickness rose to another all-time high, at 2.5 million – up 3.7% quarter-on-quarter and 7.5% year-on-year and the highest since records began in 1993.

The call was welcomed by Amanda Walters, director of the Safe Sick Pay campaign.

“Extending the UK’s sick pay system to every worker, from day one of an illness, will benefit workers and the wider economy,” she said.

“Our sick pay system should be a world leader in supporting workers and businesses, but one in three workers can’t pay the bills when they get sick. This is causing some people to leave the job market entirely, despite wanting to work.”