Cameron to bring back the workhouse

The Conservative party has unveiled its plans to build neo-Dickensian holding spaces for the workshy and the smelly. The new communes will feature up-to-date facilities such as the most modern delousing equipment and brand spanking new recreational spaces where the dregs of society will be able to spend the time in which they are not required to spend 18 hours breaking up rocks banging their heads against a wall. A Conservative spokesperson said, "We see this as a really exciting opportunity for scum."

The Tories plans seem to have caught the mood of the nation. Reg Dwyer, a baker from Luton said, "I personally think it's a good idea. For too long these people who have been left behind by successive governments without the necessary training and education have been given a free ride. You see them loitering in the streets, drinking and smoking and really not contributing to a society that sees them as useless."

The Conservatives have been keen to stress that this new policy does not rule out payments to those unable to work. Benefits will be allocated to anyone who has suffered an injury whilst playing polo, choking on lobster parfait or thrashing their butler. The workhouses will also be rebranded to ensure a positive sheen on the whole backbreaking experience. The properties will not be known as workhouses but as "Scrubbers' Retreats".