High-profile names including Sir Stephen Fry, Stanley Tucci, Aisling Bea, Levi Roots, Guy Garvey, Dame Arlene Phillips, Charlotte Ritchie and Jed Mercurio have spoken out against the UK government’s proposals to slash financial support for disabled people.
Comedian Rosie Jones: “Disabled people are scared of what the future holds”.
Actor Brian Cox: “So many people having to turn to food banks is a stain on this country”.
The comments come as new polling by Trussell reveals that 7 in 10 people think social security should at least pay for disabled people’s essential living costs.
The anti-poverty charity has branded the cuts as ‘cruel, irresponsible and out of touch’ with what the public want
Celebrities including Rosie Jones, Sir Stephen Fry and Stanley Tucci have united to express their outrage at the social security cuts announced on Wednesday, saying that they risk pushing even more disabled people to food banks.
The UK government, who were elected on manifesto pledges to end the need for emergency food parcels and to make sure Universal Credit tackles poverty, has published proposals that will make it harder for disabled people to get the payments that help them cover additional costs that they face such as purchasing specialist equipment or travel to healthcare services.
Comedian Rosie Jones, who has cerebral palsy, spoke out about the potential impact of these cuts, saying: “Disabled people are scared of what the future holds if there’s cuts to disability payments, as they are already not enough to cover life’s essentials. Disabled people are far more likely to need to use a food bank and further cuts will only deepen the hardship they are facing.”
Polling done this week by Trussell, an anti-poverty charity which supports a community of 1,400 food banks, indicated that 60% of Brits think the UK government is ‘doing badly’ on reducing the number of people experiencing poverty across the UK.
Actor Brian Cox, who experienced poverty as a child, urged the Government to rethink the plans when he said: “The fact that so many people are having to turn to food banks is a stain on this country.
“This government vowed to tackle the need for emergency food parcels in the UK, yet this decision risks even more people having to seek support. It makes no sense and will have a lasting impact on the lives of so many people already finding it difficult to afford life’s essentials.”
Trussell has already expressed concern that the cuts will have a significant impact on people who are already facing hunger and hardship with 75% of people referred to one of their food banks living in a household where someone is disabled.
Recent research by Trussell indicated that three quarters (77%) of people getting Universal Credit and health or disability payments are already having to go without essentials. Four in 10 (43%) are already missing meals to try and keep up with other essential costs. A fifth (19%) have had to turn to a food bank in just the last month.
Calling for a reversal of the proposals, Sir Stephen Fry said: “Cuts should be for people who can best afford them, not for disabled people, who are amongst the most vulnerable and overlooked of all our population.
“The social security system should be rooted in justice and compassion, fairness and need. It’s not too late to rethink this.”
The celebrities are not alone in thinking that government support should be enough to ensure that no one needs a food bank to survive. Trussell’s data shows that 83% of Brits think the Government is responsible for ensuring disabled people’s essential needs are met.
Two of Trussell’s Ambassadors reflected this, adding their voices to the call for change by saying:
Television writer Jed Mercurio: “While our social security system requires regular review and reform to ensure it targets people most in need, these cuts will only increase the likelihood of people living with a disability needing to use a food bank.”
Entrepreneur Levi Roots: “From my work with Trussell, I know disabled people in receipt of Universal Credit are already having to make impossible decisions between feeding their children and heating their homes. We need compassionate solutions that make food banks obsolete. Cuts to disability payments will simply keep food banks in business for longer.”
Actor Stanley Tucci has encouraged people to speak out about the risk of the cuts, saying: “It breaks my heart to know so many people in a country as wealthy and developed as UK are experiencing hunger.
“Through my work with Trussell, I know that the reality of these cuts will be parents in disabled families having to skip meals so that they can feed their children. Things don’t have to be this way. We must shout as loud as we can to let the UK government know this plan is wrong.”
Welfare Green Paper: what we know and what we don’t know
Work and Pension Secretary Liz Kendall made a statement to the House of Commons yesterday outlining the main areas of ‘Pathways to Work”, the UK Government’s Green Paper that has been in the rumour mill for weeks. The statement contained some well trailed announcements and some new details, although there are also still some significant gaps in our understanding (writes FRASER of ALLANDER INSTITUTE team).
PIP will not be frozen, but eligibility will be restricted
The Secretary of State’s headline announcement was in line with news over the weekend, which suggested that rates will not be frozen. Instead, the criteria for getting the daily living element of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) will be raised, with a minimum of four points on one daily living activity.
The Green Paper in this section is heavily focussed on the ‘sustainability’ of the disability benefits system, and on needing to make the system more ‘pro-work.’ It’s worth noting, however, that work status is unrelated to being in receipt of disability benefits, which are designed to address the additional costs of living with a disability, whether or not someone is in work.
Sustainability too is a nebulous concept in this space. But while it makes sense to talk about sustainability of the public finances as a whole, it is not immediately clear that a growing area of spending is necessarily unsustainable, especially when responding to a clear need in society. The Government has choices – for example, to raise taxes or to cut other areas of spending. So far from being a macroeconomic imperative, to focus on disability benefits seems clearly a political choice.
There is little in the way of details of how much the UK Government intends to save in the Green Paper, but the Secretary of State mentioned the much bandied about £5bn by 2029-30 that it intends to include in the OBR forecast. We do not know how much of this figure will be generated from PIP rather than other changes.
What we now know is that the whole of the spending reductions on PIP will come from the lower end of the average award, as it is being driven through the raising the bar for claiming. But that also means that all else equal, even morepeople will lose access to the benefit. A quick calculation suggests that for every £1bn a year saved, it could mean around a quarter of a million fewer people receiving PIP, which would be a huge change.
Work capability assessment scrapped from 2028
This is a significant change, and one for which consequences in Scotland are still unknown. At the moment, the work capability assessment (WCA) is used to assess fitness for work. From 2028, the assessment for PIP will instead be used as the basis for universal credit (UC) elements related to health conditions.
This creates an issue in Scotland, because Social Security Scotland runs its own (different) assessment for Adult Disability Payment (ADP), which is the devolved equivalent of PIP. But UC is a reserved benefit administered by DWP, and that means that potential claimants in Scotland would not have access to the PIP assessment that would be used for determining eligibility for health-related UC elements. And with the PIP assessment being tightened, it will be likely further out of step with ADP.
We’ll have to wait and see what solution there will be to this – the Green Paper merely states that “consideration will be needed.” But this is an important issue that requires action on the part of both UK and Scottish departments to ensure access by claimants to this is maintained. It highlights a broader issue of the interaction between the benefits systems which is likely to be put under further strain as systems evolve separately in Scotland.
On a broader point, these proposed changes come at a time when people in receipt of Employment and Support Allowance are due to be migrated to UC by the end of 2026. Our research with people with learning disabilities showed that many are already really concerned about the upcoming changes, and these will be further changes to an already complex system. It will be crucial to clearly communicate all the changes, particularly in accessible formats.
UC rates to be rebalanced, and access to health elements restricted for those under 22
The Secretary of State also announced a big change in the relative levels of the standard and health elements of UC. The health element of UC – which is paid on top of the standard allowance – will be frozen in cash terms for the rest of the decade for those already in receipt of it, and new claims will be paid at around half the current rate (£50/week compared with the current £97/week). Alongside this, the UK Government says it will uprate the UC standard allowance by more than inflation (6% in 2026-27).
The health element of UC will also be tightened in several ways. One is that claimants will be expected to have “much more active engagement and support” in relation to work. The other large change proposed is the consultation on delaying access to the health element of UC until potential claimants are 22, with the justification being the lower likelihood of those in receipt of that element being in employment as well as the fact that those under 22 will be covered by the Youth Guarantee of employment support, training or an apprenticeship.
We note, however, that employability is an area of devolved competence, and indeed a similar scheme already exists in Scotland.
A consultation on a new ‘unemployment insurance’
The UK Government is consulting on an interesting proposal for a unified ‘unemployment insurance’ benefit, which would replace both contribution-based Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance with a single, time-limited entitlement. This is a step more in the direction of most European systems, in which contributory systems provide a much higher level of income replacement than UC, although for a limited period of time. The proposed rate is much higher than contributory JSA, which has never been a big part of the welfare system in the UK.
Higher income replacement systems are the basis of highly successful active labour market policy systems such as the Danish ‘flexicurity’ approach, and which could help smooth out cliff-edges in the labour market and incentivise retraining, but this proposal – while probably a good idea – falls well short of that kind of system. In any case, it’s also purely consultative – and as it might well cost money on net (at least in the short run), we wait to see if anything will come of this.
‘Right to try’ – a welcome development
One of the measures mentioned in the Green Paper that could have a big positive impact is the announcement of legislation to guarantee that simply starting work will not lead to a reassessment or award review. The fact that this can happen at the moment is acts as a barrier to entering employment, especially if people want to work but are unsure if it will be a good fit for their situation as they might have to reapply for benefits subsequently.
Our research with people with learning disabilities indicates that this ‘right to try’ approach might work well, as the binary ‘can work/can’t work’ doesn’t fit well for them. Many people want to work and just need the right support – so we are hopeful that some of these changes will provide just that.
We know very little about how most of the announcements will affect Scotland
PIP is being replaced in Scotland with ADP, and migration is expected to be concluded this year. None of the announcements therefore affect Scottish claimants of ADP, but they do affect the finances of the Scottish Government. As we discussed last week, the Scottish Government’s block grant adjustment is based on the projected expenditure in England and Wales, and therefore a tightening of access to PIP will (all else equal) make the Scottish Budget worse off. It is then the Scottish Government’s decision to move in lockstep or to find the additional funds from other sources.
Because the Green Paper has no costings for how much of the £5bn a year in savings comes from PIP, it’s impossible for us to say how much this will mean for the Scottish Government’s Budget. But the ready-reckoner we provided last time out – showing an effect of £90-115m for every £1bn reduction in PIP spending by the UK Government – still applies.
As we discussed before, the use of the PIP assessment for health-related UC claims is problematic in the absence of any further action, as this is not available in Scotland and the systems are diverging. The UK Government’s Green Paper says this will require “consideration”, but this is a pretty substantial change that we hope will be solved in good time. Given the proposal is for this to be done from April 2026, it is fairly urgent to get this resolved.
Employability support is a devolved area, but the UK Government says it will include an additional £1 billion to create a guarantee of personalised employment, health and skills support. Given that, we’d expect Barnett consequentials to flow from this, but the Green Paper does not explicitly state that – we’ll wait to see if there are news on this.
The restrictions on health-related UC claims for under 22s will apply in Scotland, as it’s a reserved benefit. Notwithstanding the issues with the PIP/ADP assessment compatibility, this is an area where there has certainly been growth in the past few years: in December 2024, 11,300 people aged 16-21 were in receipt of the health element of UC, compared with 4,600 in December 2019.
This gives us a first glimpse of the amount of people that might be affected by this change if it were to be introduced.
Green Paper delivers tiny income gains for up to four million households, at cost of major income losses for those who are too ill to work or no longer qualify for disability benefit support, says RESOLUTION FOUNDATION
The Health and Disability Green Paper will boost Universal Credit (UC) support for up to four million families without any health conditions or disability by around £3 a week. But these tiny gains are overshadowed by reforms that risk causing major income losses for those who are too ill to work, or those who no longer qualify for disability benefits, the Resolution Foundation said yesterday (Tuesday).
The Green Paper today sets out major reforms on entrances into the benefits system, entitlements within the system, and exits into work that aim to cut spending by £5 billion a year by the end of the decade, and change how people interact with the system.
The main savings are to be achieved through restricting entitlement to PIP – a benefit that is paid regardless of whether someone is in work, to compensate for the additional costs of being disabled.
The Foundation says that if the Government plans to save £5 billion from restricting PIP by making it harder to qualify for the ‘daily living’ component, this would mean between 800,000 and 1.2 million people losing support of between £4,200 and £6,300 per year by 2029-30.
With seven-in-ten PIP claimants living in families in the poorest half of the income distribution, these losses will be heavily concentrated among lower-income households. This looks like a short-term ‘scored’ savings exercise, rather than a long-term reform, says the Foundation, given that Ministers have also said they will look again at how PIP is assessed in the future.
Further savings are to be achieved by cutting the level of the health-related LWCRA element within UC, which is currently claimed by 1.6 million people. The proposed cuts are focused on young people (aged 16-21), who may no longer be eligible for any extra support, and those who fall ill in the future, as their additional support will be halved, from £97 per week in 2024-25 to £50 per week in 2026-27.
Reinvesting some of the cuts to health-related UC into boosting the basic award for UC (which, at around £3 more per week, is roughly a sixth of the temporary £20 a week uplift to UC during the pandemic), and greater support for the newly unemployed should benefit up to four million families who don’t receive health-related UC.
Reducing the financial gap between health-related and basic UC should reduce the incentive for people to claim incapacity benefits (which, for a single adult, is over twice as much as basic UC at present). Along with the additional employment support provided to people on UC, the Government hopes this will boost employment, although figures will not be available until the Office for Budget Responsibility publishes its spring forecast next week.
Louise Murphy, Senior Economist at the Resolution Foundation, said:“The package of measures announced in today’s Green Paper should encourage more people into work. But any living standards gains risk being completely over-shadowed by the scale of income losses faced by those who will receive reduced or no support at all – irrespective of whether they’re able to work.
“Around one million people are potentially at risk of losing support from tighter restrictions on PIP, while young people and those who fall ill in the future will lose support from a huge scaling back of incapacity benefits.
“The irony of this Health and Disability Green Paper is that the main beneficiaries are those without health problems or a disability. And while it includes some sensible reforms, too many of the proposals have been driven by the need for short-term savings to meet fiscal rules, rather than long-term reform.The result risks being a major income shock for millions of low-income households.”
Money and Mental Health Policy Institute: Response to government welfare green paper
The government has published its welfare green paper, which outlines its proposals to reform the welfare system.
In particular, the green paper sets out plans to make it harder for people to qualify for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) — a benefit which people with disabilities and long-term ill-health can claim to help cover the extra costs associated with their disability, and which is not connected to work. In addition, people aged under 22 will not be able to qualify for the health top-up element of Universal Credit.
The government has also announced £1bn additional funding for personalised employment support to help people with disabilities move into work, and that people receiving benefits will be given a “right to try” work without losing their benefits entitlement.
Commenting on the proposals, Helen Undy, Chief Executive of the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, said:“PIP is an absolute lifeline for thousands of people with mental health problems. It can be the difference between being able to afford basic things like a phone to call your crisis team or help to clean your home, or living in disarray and increasing isolation.
“Making it harder to access will jeopardise people’s financial security and cause serious distress, which won’t set up people to go back into work and to thrive.
“These changes will mean that needing help to wash or get dressed because of your mental health wouldn’t be enough to qualify for PIP.
“The government says it will ensure people with ‘genuine need’ aren’t affected, but we’re really concerned that these new reforms will take us further back to the days when people with mental health problems were treated as less worthy of help than those with physical health issues.
“The new ‘right to try’ a job without losing the benefits is welcome, as is the funding for personalised employment support for people with disabilities or health conditions. But introducing these measures alongside cuts to PIP and stopping young people from getting incapacity benefits will do more harm than good.
“It is a short sighted approach that will have a devastating impact on many people’s finances and mental health, and we urge the government to rethink these plans.”
Largest welfare reforms for a generation to help sick and disabled people who can and have the potential to work into jobs – backed by a £1 billion investment, unveiled by the Work & Pensions Secretary today
Work Capability Assessment to be scrapped and “right to try” work guarantee to be introduced in drive to tear down barriers to work
Changes will unlock work, boost employment, and tackle the broken benefits system to unlock growth as part of the government’s Plan for Change
Record £1 billion employment support measures have been announced ‘to help disabled and long-term sick people back into work’.
The new measures are designed to ensure a welfare system that is fit for purpose and available for future generations – opening up employment opportunities, boosting economic growth and tackling the spiralling benefits bill, while also ensuring those who cannot work get the support they need as part of the government’s Plan for Change.
This will end years of inaction, which has led to one in eight young people not currently in work, education or training and 2.8 million people economically inactive due to long term sickness – one of the highest rates in the G7.
The number of people receiving one of the main types of health and disability benefit, Personal Independence Payments (PIP), has also risen rapidly and is becoming unsustainable.
Since the pandemic, the number of working-age people receiving PIP has more than doubled from 15,300 to 35,100 a month. The number of young people (16-24) receiving PIP per month has also skyrocketed from 2,967 to 7,857 a month. Over the next five years, if no action is taken, the number of working age people claiming PIP is expected to increase from 2 million in 2021 to 4.3 million, costing £34.1 billion annually.
All this has driven the spiralling health and disability benefits bill, forecast to reach £70 billion a year by the end of the decade, or more than £1 billion a week. This is equivalent to more than a third of the NHS budget, and more than three times as much as is spent on policing and keeping communities safe.
Speaking in Parliament today, Liz Kendall announced a sweeping package of reforms to overhaul the system, so it better supports those who need it while tearing down barriers to work including:
Ending reassessments for disabled people who will never be able to work and people with lifelong conditions to ensure they can live with dignity and security
Scrapping the controversial Work Capability Assessment to end the dysfunctional process that drives people into dependency – delivering on the government’s manifesto commitment to reform or replace it
Providing improved employment support backed by £1 billion – one of the biggest packages of employment support for sick and disabled people ever – including new tailored support conversations for people on health and disability benefits to break down barriers and unlock work
Legislating to protect those on health and disability benefits from reassessment or losing their payments if they take a chance on work.
To ensure the welfare system is available for those with the greatest needs now and long into the future, the government has made bold decisions to improve its sustainability and protect those who need it most, including:
Reintroducing reassessments for people on incapacity benefits who have the capability to work to ensure they have the right support and aren’t indefinitely written off.
Targeting Personal Independence Payments for those with higher needs by changing the eligibility requirement to a minimum score of four on at least one of the daily living activities to receive the daily living element of the benefit, in addition to the existing eligibility criteria.
Rebalancing payment levels in Universal Credit to improve the Standard Allowance. Raising it above inflation by 2029/30, adding £775 annually in cash terms.
Consulting on delaying access to the health element of Universal Credit until someone is aged 22 and reinvesting savings into work support and training opportunities through the Youth Guarantee.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “We inherited a fundamentally broken welfare system from the previous government. It does not work for the people it is supposed to support, businesses who need workers or taxpayers who foot the bill.
“This government will always protect the most severely disabled people to live with dignity. But we’re not prepared to stand back and do nothing while millions of people – especially young people – who have potential to work and live independent lives, instead become trapped out of work and abandoned by the system. It would be morally bankrupt to let their life chances waste away.
“When I talk about opportunity for all, I mean it. That’s why we are bringing forward the biggest changes to the welfare system in a generation and improving support for those who need it. Ensuring those who can work do work is not only right, but it will also improve living standards and drive growth, the number one priority in our Plan for Change.”
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said: “Our social security system must be there for all of us when we need it, now and into the future. That means helping people who can work to do so, protecting those most in need, and delivering respect and dignity for all.
“Millions of people have been locked out of work, and we can do better for them. Disabled people and those with health conditions who can work deserve the same choices and chances as everyone else.
“That’s why we’re introducing the most far-reaching reforms in a generation, with £1 billion a year being invested in tailored support that can be adapted to meet their changing circumstances – including their changing health – while also scrapping the failed Work Capability Assessment.
“This will mean fairness for disabled people and those with long term health conditions, but also for the taxpayers who fund it as these measures bring down the benefits bill.
“At the same time, we will ensure that our welfare system protects people. There will always be some people who cannot work because of their disability or health condition. Protecting people in need is a principle we will never compromise on.”
In her statement to Parliament, the Work and Pensions Secretary outlined the clear case for change to the welfare system and set out her commitment to ensuring that disabled people and those with a health condition have the same opportunities to work as anyone else.
In particular, she highlighted that the UK has one of the highest reported rates of working-age people out of work due to ill health in Western Europe and the UK is the only major economy whose employment rate hasn’t recovered since the pandemic – exacerbated by a broken NHS with millions of people on waiting lists.
The government has already made huge progress to fix the NHS, including by hitting the manifesto commitment to deliver over two million extra elective care appointments seven months early, and bringing forward a wider programme for NHS reform through the rollout of community diagnostic centres and 10-year plan. The Health Secretary has also sent crack teams spearheaded by top clinicians into areas of high economic inactivity, and the latest data shows waiting lists in these areas have reduced at almost double the rate of the rest of the country.
The reformed system will be built on a straightforward guarantee: any disabled person or person with a long-term health condition who is claiming out of work benefits will be able to access high quality, tailored help into a job. It will also mean that those who cannot work will always get the support they need. In Scotland and Wales, we will work closely with the devolved governments as we develop this package of support.
The reforms are based on five key principles:
Protecting disabled people who can’t and won’t ever be able to work and supporting them to live with dignity by:
Income Protection: Those currently in receipt of UC health will benefit from the increased standard allowance and will not be affected by plans to reduce UC health in future.
Extra Financial Support: For people who receive the new rate of UC health in the future system, we are proposing a new premium for individuals with severe, life-long health conditions who will never be able to work. The details, eligibility criteria and rate of this premium will be set out in due course.
Ending Reassessments: Reassessments for disabled people and people with life-long conditions who will never be able to work will be scrapped.
Improving Safeguarding Practices: The government will look at how safeguarding practices for the most vulnerable can be improved and improve experiences with the system, working with stakeholders to identify areas for improvement.
Delivering better and more tailored employment support to get more people off welfare and into work. This includes:
£1 Billion employment package to deliver tailored support for disabled people and those with long-term conditions.
New Support Conversations to provide earlier opportunities for people with health conditions to discuss work goals and available help.
Investing in the Youth Guarantee by delaying access to UC health element until age 22 and reinvesting savings into work support and training for young people.
Stopping people from falling into long-term economic inactivity through early intervention and support by:
Access to Work Scheme: We will consult on improvements to help people start and stay in work with reasonable adjustments including aids, appliances and assistive technology. These would be the first substantive changes to Access to Work since its introduction in 1994
Unemployment Insurance: We will reform contributory benefits (ESA and JSA) into a single, non-means tested, time-limited benefit for those who have paid into the system to ensure people get the support they need to find a new job that makes the most of their skills, contributing to a dynamic and productive economy.
Restoring trust and fairness in the system by fixing the broken assessment process that drives people into dependency on welfare by:
Scrapping the WCA to end the labelling of people as either ‘can or can’t work’ and consulting on a new single assessment. Under the new system, any extra financial support for health conditions (including PIP, ESA or UC health) will be assessed via a new single assessment which will be based on the PIP assessment – considering on the impact of disability on daily living, not on capacity to work.
Increasing Face-to-Face Assessments for PIP and the WCA to improve the quality of assessment decision while ensuring we continue to meet the needs of those with who may require a different method of assessment.
Longer term reform of the PIP Assessment – In the long term we will set out broader reforms to the PIP assessment, and intend first to carry out a review involving experts and stakeholders to adapt and improve it.
Right to Try Guarantee: which will ensure someone trying work or on a pathway towards employment will never lead to an immediate reassessment or award review.
Restarting Mandatory Reassessments: We will reintroduce reassessments for incapacity benefits, with exceptions for those who will never work and those under special rules for end-of-life care. Reassessments have largely been switched off since 2021, leaving people stuck on benefits when they could be helped into work and to improve their quality of life.
Ensuring the system is financially sustainable to keep providing for those who need it most by:
Changing PIP Eligibility: PIP will be targeted more on those with higher needs by requiring a minimum of four points on one daily living activity, in addition to the existing eligibility criteria.. DWP will work with DHSC to ensure that existing people who claim PIP who may no longer be entitled to the benefit following an award review under new eligibility rules have their health and eligible care needs met. The government is consulting on how best to achieve this.
Rebalancing Universal Credit: by improving the Standard Allowance to provide more adequate support. The government plans to raise the Standard Allowance above inflation by 2029/30, adding £775 in cash terms annually. This aims to avoid people having to choose between employment or adequate financial support. This change addresses the current issue where the health element rate is double that of the standard allowance, creating an incentive for people to prove they are unfit to work to claim the health element and access greater financial support.
Helen Barnard, director of policy at Trussell, said: “We’re deeply concerned by the cuts announced to disability payments today.
People at food banks have told us they are terrified of how they might survive. We welcome the positive proposals from the Department for Work and Pensions to boost the basic rate to Universal Credit and invest in employment support. However, we fear these steps will be undermined by a Treasury drive to make short-term savings.
“Huge cuts risk pushing more disabled people to the doors of food banks, and will have devastating consequences for us all. The UK government was elected on manifesto pledges to end the need for emergency food parcels. This isn’t what people voted for.
“Disabled people are already three times more likely to face hunger, and three quarters of people at food banks are disabled or live with someone who is. Our social security system should be rooted in justice and compassion, able to be there for us all, especially when we need it most.
“This isn’t a done deal. With at least a year before any cuts come into force, there’s still time for the Prime Minister and Chancellor to rethink and make good on today’s promise to restore trust and fairness in the social security system.”
The TUC said: ’11 General Secretaries of our trade union affiliates have written to the government to raise “profound concerns” about today’s welfare cuts targeted at disabled people. The labour movement must stand together with campaigners, charities & carers to resist”
Responding to today’s statement by Liz Kendall MP, Poverty Alliance policy & campaigns manager Ruth Boyle said: “People in the UK are desperate for a government that delivers a just and compassionate country.
“They want to see an end to deepening poverty, debt, destitution, and hunger in their communities. Many will be distressed, disappointed, scared, and angry at today’s announcements.
“The plans to cut the health element of Universal Credit are wrong and unjust. Cutting vital financial support to disabled people won’t help them into paid work – but it is likely to move them towards poverty.
“Equally unjust is the idea of making it virtually impossible for under-23s to get Universal Credit health support. The Government is punishing young people who aren’t fit for work simply because of their age.
“These changes are driven by a desire for financial cost savings, rather than helping people access the support they need. Positive proposals like personalised support to help people into work and a Right-to-Try will be undermined by cuts which force people into further and deeper poverty.
"The plans to cut the health element of Universal Credit are wrong and unjust. Cutting vital financial support to disabled people won't help them into paid work – but it is likely to move them towards poverty." https://t.co/gLnkE8FNAkpic.twitter.com/CZAIn0O6kL
— The Poverty Alliance (@PovertyAlliance) March 18, 2025
“Personal Independence Payments are a vital part of the social security system, and even though we have a replacement Adult Disability Payment in Scotland, there are still many people here who are on PIP.
“These social security benefits support people’s basic freedom – whether they are in work or not. They help cover some of the extra living costs that are forced on disabled people. The Government now plans to make it harder for them to get that vital support, denying them a full place in society, and undoubtedly pushing many towards debt and destitution.
“We urge the Scottish Government to maintain its commitment to justice and compassion, and to make sure the Adult Disability Payment still supports the freedom and rights of disabled people.
“It is shameful to try to balance the books on the backs of disabled people and households that are already struggling to keep their heads above water. Instead, the Government should do the responsible thing and use their tax powers to unlock our country’s wealth for investment in a strong social foundation.
“And they can scrap their self-imposed fiscal rules with a plan to help everyone build a better life for their households, and a better future for our country.”
Commenting on the Green Paper’s plans for social security reform announced by the government today (Tuesday), TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “During 14 years of Tory failure, too many people were written off. Millions of workers have been left without proper support to move into work or progress in good jobs, and too many people with disabilities or ill health have not had access to the support they need.
“But change must be done in the right way. While we welcome the decision not to freeze PIP, this package will still lead to significant cuts in entitlements for some disabled people.
“As well as ensuring that those with the most severe disabilities are protected, we urge ministers to reconsider the scale of proposed cuts in disabled people’s incomes.
“Disabled people who are unable to work must not be pushed further into hardship.”
Commenting on the Green Paper’s wider proposals, Paul added: “Action to boost access to quality employment programmes and ensure that Jobcentre work coaches can provide quality and meaningful support is welcome. As too are proposals to strengthen contributory benefits.
“This needs to be accompanied by ongoing investment in the NHS, including mental health services. Better healthcare can transform lives.
“The government’s plan to Make Work Pay is also crucial to driving up the quality of jobs in Britain and ensuring more people have access to decent work.”
Transport union, RMT has criticised Labour’s decision to cut welfare spending by up to £5bn by 2030.
Eddie Dempsey RMT general secretary said: “Welfare cuts target people who rely on support to survive, including disabled people, carers, the unemployed, and those in insecure work.
“For the past 40 years our economy has been marked by low investment, wage suppression and super-high profits.
“Our economy needs to be fundamentally restructured so we can invest in housing, infrastructure and services to create well paid jobs and provide an adequate safety net for those who fall on hard times.
“There is an enormous amount of wealth in this country and the Labour government should be using the economic levers at their disposal to capture it from the rich.
“Billions could be recouped by the treasury through levies on wealth, the closure of tax loopholes, and extracting excess corporate profits.
“RMT stands with all in our working-class communities, including the disabled and unemployed.”
OXFAM Scotland tweeted: ‘Just a reminder there’s no shortage of money in the UK, just a shortage of political will to go out & tax it.
‘While more people risk being locked into hardship/deeper poverty, the ballooning bank balances of the UK’s richest millionaires/billionaires get off virtually scot-free’
The Disability Policy Centre’s Interim Director of Research, Arun Veerappan, response to the Government’s release of the Green Paper this afternoon.
Green MSP slams Labour betrayal of disabled people and calls on MPs to fight back
Scottish Green’s co-leader and MSP for Lothian region Lorna Slater is calling on Labour MPs to fight back on the inhumane cuts that the UK government are proposing to hit their fiscal targets.
In the Westminster government’s latest controversial move, it has announced a package of changes expected to affect some of the UK’s most severely disabled people. The measures will deny benefits for thousands of people across the country.
Lorna Slater MSP for Lothian region said: “These cuts will make a cruel and dehumanising system even more brutal than it already is. They will spread pain and misery across every community.
“ This decision is immoral. You can’t cut £5 billion of support without causing real harm to disabled people.
“ None of this is inevitable. Labour could choose to bring in a wealth tax that collects a fair and justified share from the richest people to invest in the services we all rely on.
“Labour are doubling down on the Tory idea that you can work your way out of disability. They are sending a cruel and dangerous message that only people who can boost our economy are worth supporting. They promised an end to austerity, but this goes even further than anything that the Tories ever dared.”
“The fact that they are choosing to punish the people with the least tells us everything we need to know about Labour’s values. The millions of people who waited 14 long years to get rid of the Tories deserve so much better than this.”
‘Cuts to benefits announced today have clearly been motivated by a desire to make short-term savings to meet arbitrary fiscal rules, says New Economics Foundation’s Head of Social Polict Tom Pollard.
‘They’re not going to help ill and disabled people, they’re only going to create more problems.’
Former Labour Party leader and now Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn said: “This is a seminal moment: a Labour government cutting disability benefits. Not just continuing Tory levels. Cutting.
“This comes after a week of speculation, itself an act of cruelty by a government toying with people’s dignity. These cuts are disgraceful – and will cost lives.”
Scope charity commented: “These plans will be catastrophic for disabled people’s living standards. Nearly half of families living in poverty already include someone who is disabled. Now the government is choosing to penalise some of the poorest people in our society.
“We welcome the investment in tailored, non-compulsory employment support. But ripping £5 billion out of the benefits system by 2030 will completely undermine this positive step.
“Countless disabled people, charities, MPs, and experts are urging the government to think again. And we’re not backing down. The consultation is likely to receive an overwhelming response. We urge the government to listen to disabled people and think again.
“Over the coming days, we’ll analyse all the details in the government’s plans. We’ll then share more information about what these changes mean and who could be affected as soon as we can. We’ll also share ways you can have your say in the consultation.
‘This is an especially worrying time for many disabled people. If you’re concerned about these changes, you can contact our helpline for advice and support.
Call us free on 0808 800 3333, or visit our website for more ways to get in touch:
‘If you need to talk to someone about how you’re feeling, day or night, Samaritans are here to help. Call 116 123 for free, or visit their website https://samaritans.org “
Money and Mental Health response to government welfare green paper
Today the government has published its welfare green paper, which outlines its proposals to reform the welfare system.
In particular, the green paper sets out plans to make it harder for people to qualify for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) — a benefit which people with disabilities and long-term ill-health can claim to help cover the extra costs associated with their disability, and which is not connected to work. In addition, people aged under 22 will not be able to qualify for the health top-up element of Universal Credit.
The government has also announced £1bn additional funding for personalised employment support to help people with disabilities move into work, and that people receiving benefits will be given a “right to try” work without losing their benefits entitlement.
Commenting on the proposals, Helen Undy, Chief Executive of the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, said:“PIP is an absolute lifeline for thousands of people with mental health problems.
“It can be the difference between being able to afford basic things like a phone to call your crisis team or help to clean your home, or living in disarray and increasing isolation. Making it harder to access will jeopardise people’s financial security and cause serious distress, which won’t set up people to go back into work and to thrive.
“These changes will mean that needing help to wash or get dressed because of your mental health wouldn’t be enough to qualify for PIP. The government says it will ensure people with ‘genuine need’ aren’t affected, but we’re really concerned that these new reforms will take us further back to the days when people with mental health problems were treated as less worthy of help than those with physical health issues.
“The new ‘right to try’ a job without losing the benefits is welcome, as is the funding for personalised employment support for people with disabilities or health conditions. But introducing these measures alongside cuts to PIP and stopping young people from getting incapacity benefits will do more harm than good.
“It is a short sighted approach that will have a devastating impact on many people’s finances and mental health, and we urge the government to rethink these plans.”
Mikey Erhardt, Policy Officer at Disability Rights UK, said: “The minister stood up today and made clear that, after months of rumours, media speculation and spin, these reforms are not about supporting Disabled people into work, but making brutal and reckless cuts of £5 billion. That is up from £3 billion just a few weeks ago.
“The rise in claims is driven by the increase in the retirement age, record NHS waiting lists, inadequate education and mental health support for young Disabled people and a complete failure to tackle the disability employment and pay gaps. Yet the government has decided to create a rhetorical smokescreen around the depth of cuts it’s going to make.
“The government intends to bar young Disabled people from receiving the Universal Credit health component until they are 22. That is alongside their promise to significantly increase assessments at scale without making the assessment process safer for those going through the system right now.
“These measures mark dangerous cuts for all Disabled people. Furthermore, altering the PIP award criteria will make it harder for those who need support to qualify.
“The minister’s assertion that 1000s more face-to-face assessments will be more accurate is laughable; we know that in-person assessment causes more stress and worry and often leads to inaccurate findings from assessors.
“Let’s be clear: there is nothing ambitious about cutting support from those who need it and that’s what today’s announcements were really about. Rising claims for personal independence payment reflect not a problem with Disabled people but rather reflect successive government’s failure to do even the bare minimum to create a more equitable society.”
Mental Health Foundation responded:
Responding to the Government’s proposed changes to welfare and work announced today, Carers Trust’s CEO, Kirsty McHugh, said:“In the midst of today’s announcements on welfare reform, we cannot lose sight of the nation’s carers. Two-thirds of carers have been forced to give up work or cut back on hours because of their caring role.
“Many would like to work if they were able to access flexible jobs and the right employment support – sadly this is rarely on offer. But for many carers, work isn’t an option – either because of the toll of their caring role or their own ill health.
“Proposals to tighten eligibility criteria for benefits will strike fear into the heart of many carers. Around half a million carers look after someone receiving Personal Independence Payments (PIP), and nearly 150,000 people rely on both PIP and Carer’s Allowance.
“Disabled people and their carers are already among the most vulnerable in our society and more likely to live in poverty. Reducing their access to a financial safety net could push them over the edge.
“Carers already prop up our ailing health and social care system and we cannot introduce welfare changes that leave carers again picking up the pieces. We therefore welcome the commitment in the Green Paper to consider the impact of these changes on carers.”
Report warns service provided to customers is a mixed bag with levels of fraud remaining unacceptably high
Disability benefits claimants receive an unacceptably poor level of service from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). In a report published today, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) warns that the DWP’s understanding of vulnerable customers’ experience is not good enough, with how it provides customer service overall also falling short.
The report finds that benefit claimants received over £4bn less than they were entitled to in 2023-24. This increases the risk of financial hardship for the people losing out. This figure of underpayments has risen from £3.5bn in 2022-23. Underpayment rates are highest for disability benefits, such as Personal Independent Payment (PIP) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
The inquiry heard that disabled peoples’ experiences of the benefit system are often negative due to issues with the design of the system and how DWP communicates, with evidence that 43% of claimants with complex disabilities do not have their needs met through DWP’s communications.
Not informing DWP of a change in circumstances is the most common reason for underpayments – the report notes that many claimants need to call DWP to do so, but a significant proportion of calls go unanswered.
The PAC is warning that DWP does not understand well enough the experience of vulnerable customers and customers with additional or complex needs, and should gather the data it needs to gain this understanding.
The DWP conceded to the PAC that, while it had been using artificial intelligence to help identify vulnerable customers at the time of the Committee’s inquiry, it did not have a system to identify such customers on the telephone.*
The report raises continuing concerns about the potential negative impact on protected groups and vulnerable customers of DWP’s use of machine learning to identify potential fraud, and seeks reassurance from Government that claimants are not being treated unfairly through its use.
Recipients of PIP and ESA, the report finds, receive an unacceptably poor service from DWP. ESA claimants have to wait an average of nearly 30 minutes for DWP to answer their calls (compared to approximately 2 minutes for Universal Credit claimants). For new PIP claimants, only half of these are processed on time (as compared to 96% of new State Pension claims).
While benefits underpayments are climbing, the report also warns that overpayments are also on the rise, with £9.5bn of benefit expenditure (excluding State Pension) overpaid in 2023-24 – up from £8.2bn in 2022-23.
The report calls out DWP’s defence of its current performance: by referring to the challenge of working against a “headwind” of an increasing propensity for fraud in society. The PAC sees this as a dangerous mindset, stressing that it is the DWP’s job to improve its defences and ensure benefit claimants receive the right amount of money.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, Chair of the Committee, said: “Our report’s disheartening findings illustrate the stark disparity of experience between claimants for disability benefit and other users of the system.
“In some cases, claimants are literally calling for help and receiving no answer, resulting in increasing risks to their financial security. The British public would be forgiven for thinking the state is AWOL just when it needs it most.
“The DWP must do more to ensure that claimants are reunited with the money to which they are entitled, as well as to understand the needs of vulnerable claimants.
“Our Committee is closely scrutinising the use of AI in Government. While this Committee would welcome the use of AI for the benefit of the public, the onus is also on the DWP to prove it is using these powerful tools in a safe and fair manner.
!We are also as concerned at the picture of growing underpayments as we are with overpayments, and have little sympathy for the DWP’s argument that this rise is driven by a growing propensity for fraud in society.
“This amounts to saying that the DWP’s job is too hard to do well – not a defence that this Committee is prepared to accept.”
Review into business support for disabled and long-term sick
A new “Keep Britain Working” review has been launched today (Friday 24 January) to explore how to urgently support people with long-term illnesses or disabilities back into work, and to stay in work.
Independent review led by former John Lewis boss, Sir Charlie Mayfield, officially underway.
Review to investigate how government and businesses can work together to support ill and disabled people into work, boost living standards and grow the economy as part of Plan for Change.
Intervention comes as government is expected to publish major health and disability benefit reforms this Spring.
Former chairman of John Lewis Partnership, Sir Charlie Mayfield, will lead the Keep Britain Working Review to investigate the factors behind spiralling levels of inactivity, and how government and businesses can work together to turn this around, to get Britain working again.
The review will be the first of its kind, and following the launch of the Get Britain Working White Paper, will be one part of the government’s Plan for Change to kickstart economic growth in partnership with businesses, drive up prosperity and raise living standards across the UK.
With over a third of working age people reporting a long-term health condition and around a quarter classed as disabled, the latter group being three times more likely to be not in work or looking for work, the scale of the challenge is stark.
Beginning today, the review will move at pace concluding in the Autumn, with Sir Charlie Mayfield meeting businesses and health and disability organisations across the country to identify the scale, trends, obstacles and opportunities for companies when recruiting and retaining ill and disabled people.
This phase will conclude in Spring with a report based on the findings from his conversations with company bosses, employees who have been supported to stay in work, and organisations who help those out of work, to inform wider engagement. Recommendations to the government are expected later this year.
This will be part of the government’s plan to boost employment by breaking down barriers to opportunity and improving people’s living standards through work and life-changing support, building on the latest data this week showing real earnings have increased by 2.5% on the year.
Sir Charlie Mayfield, who was also Chair of the British Retail Consortium and Chair of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, said: “Losing people from the workforce because of ill-health or disability is bad for many of the individuals, for the businesses employing them, and for the wider economy.
“It’s a growing problem for us all and it’s one that’s more likely to be resolved by business and government working together.
“I’m looking forward to engaging closely with businesses, government departments and the many organisations committed to improving our performance here.”
The review, which will identify measures to help ill and disabled people get into work and stay in work, comes ahead of significant reforms to health and disability benefits expected in the Spring.
Work and Pensions Secretary, Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP, said: “Millions of people have been left without support to get into work and on at work, and completely held back from reaching their potential for far too long, and the record-high cost of long-term sickness benefits is evidence of that fact.
“That’s why I am pleased to have Sir Charlie leading this review, bringing a wealth of experience and helping us to get people into work, and most importantly keep them in work, so we can boost living standards and get our economy growing.”
Business and Trade Secretary, Rt Hon Jonathan Reynolds, said: “It isn’t right that too many businesses are missing out on the people they need, while those who want to work can’t because of long-term sickness.
“Solving this problem is one of the greatest challenges facing the labour market, with years of poor support blocking those with great talent from helping drive our economy forward.
“The government is on the side of working people and is unashamedly pro-business. That’s why this review will be critical in getting businesses the people they need to unlock their full potential.”
Rain Newton-Smith, CEO of the CBI, said: “Lower rates of employment for people with long-term health conditions or disabilities is a tragic waste of potential that holds back economic growth and impacts on well-being.
“It denies people the opportunity to improve their personal financial security through work and prevents businesses from using their valuable skills and experience to grow the economy.
“Sir Charlie’s review is a welcome opportunity for business and government to co-design solutions that have a real impact.”
This business engagement is part of the Westminster government’s Get Britain Working White Paper which is currently progressing the biggest employment reforms in a generation so the UK can reach an ambitious 80% employment rate.
As part of the plan, Jobcentre’s are to change their focus from monitoring and managing benefit claims to skills and careers, mental health support will be expanded to reduce waiting lists in areas with the highest levels of economic inactivity, and mayors will be empowered to join up local work, health and skills support to tackle the root causes of inactivity in their areas.
Join us on the 23rd and 24th of November from 11am – 4pm for Sasha Saben Callaghan’s ‘Lives: Reimagined’.
The theme for Disability History Month Scotland 2024 is ‘Disabled People: Livelihood and Employment’.
Disability has been seen for many years as synonymous with non-employment or unemployment.
This of course is not true. Disabled people have always sought a means of surviving whether in begging, employment or on welfare or charity.
Sasha Saben Callaghan’s ‘Lives: Reimagined‘ project explores the experiences of some of the disabled ‘inmates’ of the poorhouses which used to serve the Granton area, St Cuthbert’s, North Leith and South Leith, and imagines a very different life for the ‘pauper’ occupants.
Today is Gender Pension Gap Day – the point of the year from which, if women received their pension at the same rate as men, they wouldn’t get another penny until January.
The fact that we reach this point in the middle of the summer holidays is a stark illustration of the levels of inequality in our pension system.
At just under 37.9 per cent, the gender pension gap is much wider than the gender pay gap and, according to annual research by Prospect, it has barely budged in recent years (it stood at 40.7 per cent in 2015-16 when the trade union started measuring it).
The result is that, taking into account all forms of pension, retired women today have incomes around £7,000 a year lower than retired men.
What causes the gender pensions gap?
There are three main drivers of the gender pensions gap:
Different lifetime working patterns that mean women are more likely to take time out of the labour market or work part-time, most often because of unpaid caring responsibilities
The gender pay gap, exacerbated by a workplace pension system that excludes many low earners altogether
Differing levels of state pension entitlement
The impact of unpaid caring
Previous TUC analysis has highlighted the role of the pay gap – and a workplace pension system that excludes many low earners – in leaving women poorer in retirement.
But the most significant factor in the wildly unequal pension outcomes for men and women is the first bullet point – women are much more likely than men to spend time out of work or working part-time because of caring commitments than men.
This matters because our pension system is designed so that the typical worker will get around half the retirement income they need from the State Pension and half from a workplace pension.
National Insurance credits generally recognise the value of unpaid work such as caring so that people continue to build up state pension entitlement, but those out of paid work stop building up their workplace pension.
These contribution gaps are the biggest factor in women with a defined contribution pension approaching retirement having a pension pot less than half the size of men on average.
How wide is the ‘economic activity gap’?
New TUC analysis shows that women are vastly more likely than men to be out of paid work – and therefore unlikely to be building up a workplace pension – because of caring responsibilities.
This disparity can be seen in every age group, and is particularly wide for groups who face additional barriers in the labour market, such as disabled women and BME women.
Overall, women are 4.5 times more likely than men to be economically inactive – the Office for National Statistics’ term for people neither in or looking paid work – because of caring responsibilities.
The chart below shows that rates of economic activity due to caring responsibilities peak between the ages of 25 and 44, with more than one in 11 women aged 35-39 in this category.
The gap is highest in the late 20s, with women aged 25-29 more than 14 times more likely than male counterparts to be out of paid work because of caring commitments.
Source: TUC analysis of ONS Labour Force Survey, Q1 2024
This is perhaps unsurprising, with working mums much more likely to take time off work to look after kids.
It has a particularly large impact on pension saving, however. These are the years when workers typically have higher incomes than when they are just starting out, meaning their pension contributions are greater, but they are also far from retirement, so those contributions will remain invested for longer and have more time to grow.
The charts below show that BME women are particularly likely to be affected. While white women are four times more likely than men to be out of work looking after a loved one, the figure rises to 6.4 times more likely for BME women.
Source: TUC analysis of ONS Labour Force Survey, Q1 2024
And the chart below shows that people who are themselves disabled, are also much more likely to be out of the labour market because of caring responsibilities to others.
Disabled women are almost nine times more likely than non-disabled men to be in this position.
Source: TUC analysis of ONS Labour Force Survey, Q1 2024
Tackling the gender pension gap
The TUC has long called on governments to get serious about measuring the gender pension gap, and set out a plan to reduce it.
But this is only the first step, and the new government must build on this by setting out a comprehensive plan to reduce the gap
The recently announced Pensions Review is a great opportunity to do this, and we believe this should include an explicit strand on tackling pensions inequality.
But the figures above make clear that it will be difficult to improve women’s retirement incomes without improving the way our pension system recognises the value of unpaid care work.
This would require replacing the workplace pension contributions lost by those out of paid work, and there have been a number of proposals to introduce a Carers Credit that would dothis.
We believe the most straightforward way of doing this is for those out of the labour market with a young child and registered carers to build up additional State Pension, on top of the flat-rate New State Pension.
This would be essentially reintroducing a feature that was removed in 2016. Before this point, people looking after children under 12 and registered for child benefit built up State Second Pension credit in addition to a credit towards the basic state pension.
When it was removed this credit was worth an extra £1.80 a week in pension in 2015-16 terms. So a worker who took five years out of paid work to raise kids, for example, would have built up almost £500 a year in additional State Pension over these years to plug the gap in their workplace pension contributions.
There is no single policy that would fix the gender pension gap, but introducing (or reintroducing) a Carers Credit would be a very significant step in the right direction.
The latest government announcement on reforms to financial support for those with ill health or disability is misleading rhetoric. The lives of those with ill health or disability are completely misrepresented, and the language they use is divisive, (writes TUC’s ANJUM KLAIR).
The Government has deliberately confused the purpose of this benefit in order to ramp up its benefit scrounger rhetoric. PIP is not an out-of-work benefit: disabled people in full-time employment can be, and are, assessed as eligible for PIP. It assesses whether someone’s impairment or health conditions affects their day-to-day life and is intended to cover some of the additional costs incurred as a result of being disabled. It is not for assessing if you are capable of work- or work-related activity.
The idea that you can claim PIP for mild mental illness is untrue. The criteria for accessing PIP is stringent. You have to be suffering from severe mental illness. It is a complex application process and have to provide medical evidence.
If the current data is showing rising numbers of those with severe depression and anxiety claiming PIP, you don’t change the eligibility criteria to reduce claimant numbers – you look at the underlying drivers of ill health.
More than a decade of austerity under the Conservatives has resulted in crumbling public services.
The approach by government is to blame individuals. Only recently the Prime Minister attacked those too sick to work, by saying UK had a sick note culture, yet the data on workplace sickness absence does not suggest any substantial challenges.
And again, government conflates two separate areas, sick notes look at short-term illness for those in work and not long-term illness and disability. It is the rise in long-term sickness and disability which is alarming.
The ideas proposed in the consultation also include the insulting suggestion that disabled people are not to be trusted with spending their benefits on essential support. As it moves away from a fixed cash benefit and proposes to reimburse for extra costs, this also assumes that disabled people have the money to pay up front for this.
The consultation also proposes accessing treatments rather than receiving benefits for ill health, yet it is the lack of access to treatment which is exacerbating the increase in ill health. The long delays are well documented. Just for mental health support there is around1.9 million people waiting for support in England,
The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) to be abolished and eligibility for the health top-up in Universal Credit (UC) ( in this case the health element) will be passported (i.e. approved) via PIP.
The current UC Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) element will be replaced with a new UC health element.
Introduce more tailored conversations for claimants with work coaches, to enter suitable employment.
While we have issues with the validity of WCA decisions, it is supposed to assess people’s ability to work, while PIP clearly does not do this. This proposed change would amount to a huge financial cut to those not well enough to work. The IFS estimates that one million disabled or seriously unwell people who can’t get PIP would lose out by £350 a month.
Wider problems in the Government’s plan include the proposed introduction of a new personalised health conditionality approach. Disabled people will also face a higher risk of sanctions, as at present people currently identified as being unable to work and prepare for work are protected but could lose this right under the changes.
Such measures do not consider the structural barriers that stop disabled people from entering into the workplace, such as discrimination from employers, a failure to put in place reasonable adjustments, and inaccessible transport. The result will be many disabled people whose health makes it difficult or impossible to carry out work activity without a realistic chance of getting a job, being threatened with sanctions.
Separately the Government has made changes to descriptors in the WCA to apply from September 2025 for new claimants. As a result, 424,000 fewer people are expected to be assessed as having limited capability for work and work-related activity by 2028 to 2029.
The theme by the Conservative government is to constantly reduce eligibility to cut social security entitlement for disabled people or those with ill health. Government needs to end this cruel assault on sick and disabled people.
This blog looked at the ways in which the gap in employment rates between disabled and non-disabled people has changed since 2014, finding that Scotland has lower rates of employment for disabled people compared to the rest of the UK. The gap has been closing more quickly, however.
This initial research led us to a question: why has the gap been closing more quickly? And furthermore, what changes have happened for different groups of people with disabilities?
Our full report, published today, models the reasons behind this change, and explores more detailed statistics on employment differences by type of disability.
Our work is based on a previous report by the DWP which looked at changes in the disability employment gap across the UK.
Some of our key findings include:
The employment rate for disabled people in Scotland has increased by 9 percentage points since 2014. Non-disabled employment rates also increased by 3 percentage points during this time period. This increase in the employment rate has been larger in Scotland compared to the rest of the UK, although the employment rate remains lower.
The employment rate has largely increased due to an increase in disability prevalence (70% of the total change), meaning that this change is primarily due to working people becoming disabled. A small portion of the change (10%) was due to a change in working patterns among disabled people.
On average, Scotland’s disabled working age population grew by about 4.6% each year between 2014 and 2022, while Scotland’s total working age population grew by less than 0.1%
Over half of the change in disability prevalence is due to an increase in reporting mental health-related disabilities and learning difficulties. In 2014, over a third of disabled people in Scotland reported musculoskeletal conditions as their main issue, and around a quarter reported a mental health condition or learning difficulty. These proportions have now switched.
Employment rates for all types of disability have increased since 2014. Musculoskeletal conditions – those affecting arms, legs, feet, neck, and back – had significant increases in employment rates, without significant increases in disability prevalence. By comparison, rates of reported mental illness grew substantially in both employment rates and in total prevalence, although the change in employment outpaced the change in population size.
Disabled people are disproportionately less likely to work in manufacturing; professional, scientific, and technical activities; or construction, and are more likely to work in education, retail, and health and social work.
“But our message is clear: if you are fit, if you refuse to work, if you are taking taxpayers for a ride – we will take your benefits away.”
Changes are part of the new Back to Work Plan which will help up to 1,100,000 people with long-term health conditions, disabilities or long-term unemployed to look for and stay in work.
Additional support comes alongside tougher sanctions for people who don’t look for work, as part of the next generation of welfare reforms.
Includes exploring reforms of the fit note system, expansion of available treatment and employment support, and formal launch of the WorkWell service to help people start, stay and succeed in work.
The Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Mel Stride will unveil their Back to Work Plan– a package of employment focused support that will help people stay healthy, get off benefits and move into work – as part of the Autumn Statement.
Building on the ambitious £7 billion employment package from Spring Budget the Chancellor is using his Autumn Statement to outline a new Back to Work Plan, which will expand the employment support and treatment available and reform the ways that people with disabilities or health conditions interact with the state.
Getting more people into work and ensuring work pays remains a key priority for the government. It is important for growing the UK economy, managing inflation, controlling spending, and improving living standards. Getting more people into good jobs is also good for those individuals and the best route out of poverty.
The government is boosting four key programmes – NHS Talking Therapies, Individual Placement and Support, Restart and Universal Support – to benefit up to 1.1 million people over the next five years and help those with mental or physical health conditions stay in or find work.
The new WorkWell service as announced at Spring Budget and delivered by the Departments for Work and Pensions and Health and Social Care is also being formally launched today and will support almost 60,000 long-term sick or disabled people to start, stay and succeed in work once rolled out in approximately 15 areas across England.
The prospectus that will be launched in the coming weeks will provide information for all Integrated Care Systems across England to develop their localised work and health strategy.
Ministers are also planning to trial reforms to the fit note process to make it easier and quicker for people to get specialised work and health support, with improved triaging and signposting. Since the pandemic the number of people inactive in the UK due to long-term sickness or disability has risen by almost half a million to a record high of 2.6 million, with mental health, musculoskeletal conditions and heart disease being some of the main causes.
Stricter benefit sanctions will also be enforced by the Department for Work and Pensions for people who are able to work but refuse to engage with their Jobcentre or take on work offered to them. Benefit claimants who continue to refuse to engage with the Jobcentre will face having their claim closed. The latest published data shows that there were 300,000 people who had been unemployed for over a year in the three months to July.
The announcement today forms part of wider plans to grow the economy expected in the Autumn Statement on Wednesday 22 November. The Chancellor is set to reveal a raft of changes to get the UK economy growing including getting people back into work.
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, said:“We’re serious about growing our economy and that means we must address the rise in people who aren’t looking for work – especially because we know so many of them want to and with almost a million vacancies in the jobs market the opportunities are there.
“These changes mean there’s help and support for everyone – but for those who refuse it, there are consequences too. Anyone choosing to coast on the hard work of taxpayers will lose their benefits.”
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Mel Stride, said:“We are rolling out the next generation of welfare reforms to help more people start, stay and succeed in work. We know the positive impact work can have, not just on our finances, but our health and wellbeing too.
“So we are expanding the voluntary support for people with health conditions and disabilities, including our flagship Universal Support programme.
“But our message is clear: if you are fit, if you refuse to work, if you are taking taxpayers for a ride – we will take your benefits away.”
The plans announced today set out how the government will tackle long-term unemployment by supporting Universal Credit claimants to find work while strengthening work search requirements for job seekers through all stages of their Universal Credit claim.
As a result of these reforms, no claimant should reach 18 months of unemployment in receipt of their full benefits if they have not taken every reasonable step to comply with Jobcentre support.
The plans to tackle long-term unemployment include:
Testing Additional Jobcentre Support in England and Scotland – testing how intensive support can help claimants into work who remain unemployed or on low earnings after 7 weeks into their Universal Credit claim.
Extending and expanding the Restart scheme in England and Wales for 2 years – expanding tailored, intensive support to people who have been on Universal Credit for more than 6 months rather than 9, helping them to tackle barriers to entering employment through coaching, CV and interview skills, and training. The scheme will be extended for two years until June 2026.
Introducing a claimant review point – Universal Credit claimants who are still unemployed after the 12-month Restart programme will take part in a claimant review point: a new process whereby a work coach will decide what further work search conditions or employment pathways would best support a claimant into work. If a claimant refuses to accept these new conditions without good reason, their Universal Credit claim will be closed.
Rolling out mandatory work placement trials – through the claimant review point, claimants who have not yet moved into work by the end of Restart will be required to accept a job or to undertake time-limited work experience or other intensive activity to improve their employability prospects. Failure to do so at this stage will lead to immediate sanction, with the full removal of the Universal Credit standard allowance.
Stricter sanctions for people who should be looking for work but aren’t – including:
targeting disengaged claimants by closing the claims of individuals on an open-ended sanction for over six months and solely eligible for the Universal Credit standard allowance, ending their access to additional benefits such as free prescriptions and legal aid;
rooting out fraud and error using the government’s Targeted Case Review to review the Universal Credit claims of disengaged claimants on an open-ended sanction for over eight weeks, ensuring they receive the right entitlement;
digital tools to track claimants’ attendance at job fairs and interviews.
Plans set out also include expanding key health and employment programmes, to benefit over half a million people over the next five years and help those with mental health conditions stay in or find work:
NHS Talking Therapies – increasing the number of people benefitting from courses of mental health treatment by an additional 384,000 people over the next five years and increasing the number of sessions available.
NHS Talking Therapies provides evidence based psychological therapies including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), for treatment of mild and moderate mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety disorders.
Individual Placement and Support (IPS) – aiming to help an additional 100,000 people with severe mental illness to find and keep jobs over the next five years. IPS is an employment support programme integrated in community mental health services. IPS employment specialists:
Work with people accessing the service to find them employment that matches their aims, interests and skills, and offer continued support once they are in post.
Integrate with the mental health team to support the individual with any issues that affect their work and recovery.
Build relationships with employers to negotiate job opportunities.
Universal Support in England and Wales – matching 100,000 people per year with existing vacancies and supporting them in their new role, an increase on the 50,000 people outlined at Spring Budget, also helping people with disabilities and from vulnerable groups.
Participants will access up to 12 months of personalised ‘place and train’ support. The individual will be supported by a dedicated keyworker who will help the participant find and keep a job, with up to £4,000 of funding available to provide each participant with training, help to manage health conditions or help for employers to make necessary accommodations to the person’s needs.
WorkWell – The service announced at Spring Budget 2023 is being formally launched to Integrated Care Systems across England and will help support people at risk of falling into long-term unemployment due to sickness or disability, through integrated work and health support. Integrated Care Systems across England will be supported to develop a localised work and health strategy, and then services will be provided in approximately 15 pilot areas.
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Victoria Atkins, said:“We know that tailored work and health support initiatives can help break down the kinds of barriers that can make finding and staying in a job more difficult for those with mental health conditions.
“Backing them with further investment means they’re more widely available, enables personalised help and will get thousands back to work by overcoming any issues that may be preventing them from fulfilling their career potential.”
Kate Shoesmith, Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) Deputy Chief Executive, said:“Today’s announcements will help the Restart scheme keep making a real difference to people’s work and life chances.
“It contributes to efforts to overcome our labour and skills shortages and to further growing our economy. Bringing public and private employment services together is vital to get people into work and not look back.
“Our own award-winning Restart scheme, which sees recruiters work with employability services provider Maximus, has helped place 1700 long-term unemployed people into work since 2021.”
