TOUR DE FRANCE TO RETURN TO THE UK IN 2027 WITH HISTORIC DUAL GRAND DÉPARTS
In a historic milestone, the world’s biggest bike races, the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, will both take place in the UK in 2027, marking the first time both the men’s and women’s Grand Départs will take place in the same country (outside France).
England, Scotland, and Wales are all set to host stages of this famous event in 2027, making it the largest free sporting spectacle in British history with millions expected to line the streets for the return of the Tour de France, and to witness the first ever staging of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in the UK.
The men’s Tour de France will begin in Edinburgh.
Further route details for both the men’s and women’s 2027 Grand Départs will be announced in the Autumn, with the focus on maximising the opportunity to showcase Britain’s diverse landscapes alongside the nation’s enthusiasm for cycling and inspiring as many people as possible through the event.
As a key part of this, a landmark social impact programme will be delivered as part of the build-up to the 2027 Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift Grand Départs. The ambitious programme will deliver long-lasting benefits for thousands of people across the country by tackling inactivity, improving mental wellbeing, boosting economic growth and supporting communities to thrive.
The return of Tour de France to the UK is the result of an ambitious and collaborative effort from key partners, including British Cycling, UK Sport, UK Government, Scottish and Welsh Governments, and event stakeholders in a strategic win that will drive lasting benefits for the sport and everyone who rides a bike.
The last time the men’s Tour de France graced British shores was in 2014 when crowds of people cheered from the roadsides of Yorkshire and London for three unforgettable stages, following the race’s previous visit to the UK in 2007.
With its return in 2027, the event offers an unparalleled opportunity to inspire a new generation of cycling fans and riders while boosting cycle tourism right across the country.
HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh led a spectacular celebration at Edinburgh Castle today, marking the official handover as the UK prepares to host the Grand Départ of both the 2027 Tour de France and Tour de France Femme. In a striking moment, the historic landmark was lit in yellow, with pyrotechnics and smoke displays creating a dramatic backdrop to this momentous announcement.
Tour de France General Director Christian Prudhomme, Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney, UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, British Cycling CEO Jon Dutton, and Tour de France legend Sir Mark Cavendish were present, alongside, young cyclists, Scottish pipers, and dignitaries from across England, Scotland, and Wales, highlighting the excitement and legacy these world-class races will bring.
Christian Prudhomme, General Director, Tour de France, said:“The Tour de France and the UK share a rich history, and I am delighted to bring the Grand Départ to the country in 2027.
“Britain has always welcomed the Tour with enthusiasm and pride, and this collaboration across England, Scotland, and Wales promises to make the event even more special.”
First Minister of Scotland, John Swinney, said:“It is a tremendous honour to welcome the Tour de France to Scotland. We know it is one of the most iconic and inspiring contests in sport, and that Scotland provides the perfect stage for major events.
“Hosting the Tour promises to be a unique opportunity to showcase our country to its many fans around the world as part of a timeline of incredible sporting events in Scotland from 2026 to 2028.”
First Minister of Wales, Eluned Morgan, said:“The Welsh stage of the 2027 UK Grand Depart promises to be a memorable experience for competitors and fans alike. Boasting stunning landscapes, warm and welcoming communities and an ever-growing fanbase of cycling enthusiasts, Wales will provide the ultimate challenge and a unique Welsh ‘Croeso’ for the world’s biggest cycle race.
“We will build on our successful track record of hosting road cycling events, ensuring the Tour De France has a positive and lasting impact on cycling in Wales, by showcasing Wales as a top international destination for cyclists and encouraging more people in Wales to get into cycling.”
Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, said:“The opportunity to host the Grand Departs of both the Men’s and Women’s Tour de France will cement Britain’s reputation as a destination for major international sporting events. This will stimulate growth, attract new visitors and leave a lasting legacy for athletes and fans alike.
“Staging the Tour de France Femmes in Britain for the first time will also be an historic occasion and inspire the next generation of female cyclists while supporting our mission of breaking down barriers for women and girls to get more involved in sport.”
Simon Morton, Director of Events at UK Sport said:“We set out to host the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes because we believe that live sport is a fundamental part of our country’s social fabric, and that we should be hosting events that are accessible to people and communities across the country.
“This will be the biggest free spectator event ever hosted in the UK, offering the public front-row access to world class sport across villages, towns and cities. We can’t wait to share more details later in the year about this truly remarkable route.”
Jon Dutton OBE, CEO of British Cycling, said:“The return of the Tour de France Grand Départ to Britain is an exciting moment for cycling in the UK.
“Hosting both the men’s and women’s races together will be a first, and we believe it has the potential to inspire more people to discover the joy and benefits of cycling. This is not just about the race – it’s about creating a national moment that encourages healthier lifestyles, supports cycle tourism, and brings communities together.”
Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Robert Aldridge and Culture and Communities Convener Val Walker welcome the announcement.
Lord Provost Robert Aldridge, said: “We are thrilled to welcome the Tour de France Grand Départ to Edinburgh. With our winding cobbled streets and iconic backdrop, the city provides a dramatic, challenging, and undeniably picturesque start to this legendary race. It’s sure to be a sight to remember.
“This will be an exhilarating event for the city and a major highlight of 2027. Edinburgh’s residents are renowned for offering a warm and unforgettable welcome to millions of visitors each year, and we look forward to extending that same hospitality to the Tour de France.”
Culture and Communities Convener, Val Walker, said: “As the world’s largest annual sporting event, the Tour de France will bring elite cyclists from across the globe to Edinburgh, showcasing exactly why our city is celebrated worldwide as a premier events destination.
“Edinburgh is no stranger to cycling events, and has proudly hosted stages of the Tour of Britian and the UCI Championships in 2023. Beyond the significant benefits to the local economy, the global media coverage will place Edinburgh at the heart of the world’s stage, strengthening our city’s international reputation.
“These events not only allow Edinburgh’s residents to see some of the world’s leading cyclists in action but also showcase the very best of the city to travelling tourists and athletes.
“Cycling in the Capital continues to grow in popularity, so hosting another major event is fantastic news. I’m confident the people of Edinburgh will come out in full support of the riders, and a successful Grand Départ will surely ignite even more passion for the sport.”
To find out more information and keep up-to-date with the 2027 Grand Départs, please visit letourgb.com
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.”
Fewer driving test slots will be wasted as the UK government announces an extension to the window for test cancellations to prevent last minute changes.
From 8 April 2025, learner drivers will need to give more notice when changing or cancelling their car driving test to avoid losing their fee. Currently, customers can cancel up to 3 days ahead of their test without losing their test fee.
Under the new rules, learners must give 10 full working days’ notice to change or cancel their test without losing the fee.
Extending the window will also encourage customers to be better prepared and ready to pass when they book their test – as well as encourage learners to change or cancel their test sooner if they’re not ready and so give more chance for appointments to be used by someone else.
Minister for the Future of Roads, Lilian Greenwood, said: “Driving is more than just a means of transport; it is a lifeline for many, opening doors to jobs, opportunities and ultimately contributing to the growth of our economy.
“The measures announced today are another vital step in tackling the driving test backlog and ensuring that more learners who are ready to take their test can do so without unnecessary delays.
“These new measures will ensure that driving test appointments are used efficiently, encouraging learners to make adjustments to their schedules sooner, should they not be fully prepared.”
The change announced yesterday (17 March 2025) is part of the government’s 7-point plan to help reduce driving test waiting times.
Announced in December 2024, the plan includes:
recruiting and training 450 driving examiners
reviewing and improving the rules for booking driving tests
introducing tougher terms and conditions for the service driving instructors use to book and manage car driving tests for their pupils
Loveday Ryder, DVSA’s Chief Executive, said: “Extending the short notice cancellation period for driving tests forms part of our 7-point plan to reduce driving test waiting times.
“This will encourage learners to change or cancel their test sooner so we can offer up those slots to other customers.
“We remain committed to reducing driving test waiting times and supporting learners in getting on the road when they are truly ready and safe to do so.”
To further protect motorists given continued cost-of-living pressures and potential fuel price volatility amid global uncertainty, the government has also frozen fuel duty at current levels for another year, saving the average car driver £59.
Sending top doctors into areas of highest economic inactivity in England is ‘busting through the backlog’
Targeted approach is cutting waiting lists twice as fast as rest of the country
Plans to roll scheme out further as government delivers on its Plan for Change
A new Labour government initiative to send top doctors to support hospital trusts in areas where more people are out of work and waiting for treatment is cutting waiting lists faster, new data shows.
In September, Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting sent in crack teams spearheaded by top clinicians to NHS hospitals serving communities with high levels of economic inactivity. The teams support NHS trusts to go further and faster to improve care in these areas, where more people are neither employed nor actively seeking work, for reasons including ill health.
Latest data from October 2024 to January 2025 shows waiting lists in these areas have, on average, been reduced at more than double the rate of the rest of the country, falling 130% faster in areas where the government scheme is in action than the national average.
A total of 37,000 cases have been removed from the waiting lists in those 20 areas, averaging almost 2,000 patients per local trust.
The teams of leading clinicians introducing more productive ways of working to deliver more procedures, including running operating theatres like Formula One pit stops to cut down on wasted time between operations.
The scheme has delivered huge improvements in areas of high economic inactivity. They include:
The Northern Care Alliance & Manchester Foundation Trust – where a series of ‘super clinics’ with up to 100 patients being seen a day in one-stop appointments where patients can be assessed, diagnosed and put on the treatment pathway in one appointment. These include Employment Advisors on site to support patients with any barriers to returning to work. Those that require surgery are then booked to ‘high flow theatre’ lists such as those at the Trafford Elective Surgery Hub.
Warrington & Halton – which has run Super Clinics for Gynaecology delivered at weekends, with one-stop models reducing the need for follow up appointments.
East Lancs Hospitals Trust – which has focused on streamlining diagnostic pathways and increasing capacity for Echocardiography, or heart scans, reducing the waiting list for these from around 2700 patients to around 700 – with all of patients having their scan within 6 weeks.
Data shows the number of people unable to work due to long term sickness is at its highest since the 1990s. The number of adults economically inactive due to ill-health rose from 2.1m in July 2019 to a peak of 2.9m in October 2023. The decision to send the crack teams to these 20 trusts first was based on the government’s aim to get people back to health and back to work, helping to cut the welfare bill.
Following the success of the programme, the government has confirmed similar crack teams will be rolled out to additional providers this year to boost NHS productivity and cut waiting times further.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “The investment and reform this government has introduced has already cut NHS waiting lists by 193,000, but there is much more to do.
“By sending top doctors to provide targeted support to hospitals in the areas of highest economic inactivity, we are getting sick Brits back to health and back to work.
“I am determined to transform health and social care so it works better for patients – but also because I know that transformation can help drag our economy out of the sluggish productivity and poor growth of recent years.
“We have to get more out of the NHS for what we put in. By taking the best of the NHS to the rest of the NHS, reforming the way surgeries are running, we are cutting waiting lists twice as fast at no extra cost to the taxpayer.
“As we boost NHS productivity and deliver fundamental reform through our Plan for Change, you will see improvements across the service in the coming weeks and months.”
The new data comes after the Westminster government confirmed the abolition of NHS England, centralising the way that health care is delivered, cutting bureaucracy and improving care outcomes for patients up and down the country.
The government inherited waiting lists of over 7.6 million last July, and rising numbers of patients waiting months and years to get the treatment they need to get back to their jobs.
Thanks to immediate action taken by the government- including ending the strikes and investing more in the NHS – overall waiting lists have fallen for the last five months in a row, dropping by 193,000.
The targeted teams are the latest success delivered by the government as it continues its fundamental reform of the NHS through the Plan for Change.
Soon after taking office, it confirmed an extra £1.8 billion to deliver extra elective activity across the country.
This helped create an extra 2 million elective care appointments between July and November last year – delivering on the government’s manifesto pledge seven months early.
Other plans to increase elective care productivity and cut waiting lists include opening community diagnostic centres 12 hours a day, seven days a week, revolutionising the NHS app so patients can receive test results and book appointments, and increasing use of the independent sector to improve patient choice.
Number of people on the highest rate of Universal Credit with no support to look for work has almost quadrupled since the Covid pandemic
Figures show 1.8 million people now in Limited Capability for Work Related Activity (LCWRA) category as broken Work Capability Assessment continues to push people out of work
New figures emerge ahead of proposals to reform health and disability benefits and builds on the plan to get Britain working
1.8 million people on Universal Credit are getting no support to find work, according to new data released yesterday (Thursday 13 March).
The number has almost quadrupled since the start of the pandemic when 360,000 people were considered too sick to look for work – a 383% rise in less than five years. In the last year alone, the number has risen by from 1.4 million people to 1.8 million.
The number of young people aged 16 to 24 on LCWRA has risen by 249% from 46,000 to 160,000 since the pandemic – demonstrating a worrying increase in the number people becoming trapped in inactivity early in life, with almost one million young people not in education, employment, or training.
The government is already taking action to get people into work through its plan to get Britain working which will empower local mayors to tackle economic inactivity, overhaul Jobcentres, and deliver a Youth Guarantee so every young person is either earning or learning.
Building on the biggest employment reforms for a generation, Liz Kendall is due to announce radical welfare reforms to create a thriving and inclusive labour market – as part of the government’s Plan for Change to unlock work, boost growth and raise living standards.
Work and Pensions Secretary, Rt Hon. Liz Kendall MP, said: “Millions of people have been locked out of work by a failing welfare system which abandons people – when we know there are at least 200,000 people who want to work, and are crying out for the right support and a fair chance.
“This government is determined to fix the broken benefits system we inherited so it genuinely supports people, unlocks work, boosts living standards while putting the welfare bill on a more sustainable footing.”
In the current dysfunctional system, a person is placed in binary categories of either “fit for work” or “not fit for work” through the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) – an assessment the government has said it will either reform or replace, so it no longer drives people who want to work to a life on benefits.
Through this process, those not fit for work are told they have Limited Capability for Work Related Activity (LCWRA) – meaning they won’t receive employment support or further engagement from the system at any point following their assessment – effectively abandoning and locking them out of work indefinitely.
The current system, in which people 25 and over on the standard rate of UC get £393.45 a month and those with a health condition get an additional £416.19, gives an incentive for people to say they can’t work – and get locked out of help and support – simply to get by financially.
Over the past five years, 67% of people on Universal Credit who have been through a WCA were considered LCWRA – a symptom of the assessment system pushing people to prove their inability to work for a more generous payout.
The government says it has hit the ground running to tackle health-related inactivity at its root, improving the country’s wellness by investing £26 billion in the NHS, delivering 2 million extra appointments to tackle medical waiting lists, and hiring an extra 8,500 mental health workers, so people get the treatment they need to stay healthy and in work.
This comes alongside the £250 million plan to get Britain working and the recently announced 1,000 Work Coaches will be redeployed to offer intensive employment support to around 65,000 sick and disabled people – a ‘downpayment’ on our plan to restore fairness to our welfare system.
Ending NHS England will ‘reduce bureaucracy, make savings and empower NHS staff to deliver better care for patients’
Major reforms to empower NHS staff and put patients first
Changes will drive efficiency and empower staff to deliver better care as part of Prime Minister’s Plan for Change
Move will reduce complex bureaucracy and undo the damage caused by 2012 reorganisation
Reforms to reduce bureaucracy, make savings and empower NHS staff to deliver better care for patients have been set out today by the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer.
NHS England will be brought back into the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to put an end to the duplication resulting from 2 organisations doing the same job in a system currently holding staff back from delivering for patients.
By stripping back layers of red tape and bureaucracy, more resources will be put back into the front line rather than being spent on unnecessary admin.
The reforms will reverse the 2012 top-down reorganisation of the NHS which created burdensome layers of bureaucracy without any clear lines of accountability. As Lord Darzi’s independent investigation into the state of the NHS found, the effects of this are still felt today and have left patients worse off under a convoluted and broken system.
The current system also penalises hardworking staff at NHS England and DHSC who desperately want to improve the lives of patients but who are being held back by the current overly bureaucratic and fragmented system.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, said: “This is the final nail in the coffin of the disastrous 2012 reorganisation, which led to the longest waiting times, lowest patient satisfaction and most expensive NHS in history.
“When money is so tight, we cannot justify such a complex bureaucracy with 2 organisations doing the same jobs. We need more doers and fewer checkers, which is why I’m devolving resources and responsibilities to the NHS frontline.
“NHS staff are working flat out but the current system sets them up to fail. These changes will support the huge number of capable, innovative and committed people across the NHS to deliver for patients and taxpayers.
“Just because reform is difficult does not mean it should not be done. This government will never duck the hard work of reform.
“We will take on vested interests and change the status quo, so the NHS can once again be there for you when you need it.”
Sir James Mackey, who will be taking over as Transition CEO of NHS England, said: “We know that while unsettling for our staff, today’s announcement will bring welcome clarity as we focus on tackling the significant challenges ahead and delivering on the government’s priorities for patients.
“From managing the COVID pandemic, the biggest and most successful vaccine campaign which got the country back on its feet, to introducing the latest, most innovative new treatments for patients, NHS England has played a vital role in improving the nation’s health. I have always been exceptionally proud to work for the NHS – and our staff in NHS England have much to be proud of.
“But we now need to bring NHS England and DHSC together so we can deliver the biggest bang for our buck for patients, as we look to implement the 3 big shifts – analogue to digital, sickness to prevention and hospital to community – and build an NHS fit for the future.”
Incoming NHS England chair, Dr Penny Dash, said: “I am committed to working with Jim, the board and wider colleagues at NHS England to ensure we start 2025 to 2026 in the strongest possible position to support the wider NHS to deliver consistently high-quality care for patients and value for money for taxpayers.
“I will also be working closely with Alan Milburn to lead the work to bring together NHS England and DHSC to reduce duplication and streamline functions.”
Work will begin immediately to return many of NHS England’s current functions to DHSC. A longer-term programme of work will deliver the changes to bring NHS England back into the department, while maintaining a ‘laser-like focus’ on the government’s priorities to cut waiting times and responsibly manage finances.
It will also realise the untapped potential of the NHS as a single payer system, using its centralised model to procure cutting-edge technology more rapidly, get a better deal for taxpayers on procurement and work more closely with the life sciences sector to develop the treatments of the future.
The reforms to deliver a more efficient, leaner centre will also free up capacity and help deliver significant savings of hundreds of millions of pounds a year, which will be reinvested in frontline services to cut waiting times through the government’s Plan for Change.
The changes will crucially also give more power and autonomy to local leaders and systems – instead of weighing them down in increasing mountains of red tape, they will be given the tools and trust they need to deliver health services for the local communities they serve with more freedom to tailor provision to meet local needs.
The number of people working in the centre has more than doubled since 2010, when the NHS delivered the shortest waiting times and highest patient satisfaction in its history. Today, the NHS delivers worse care for patients but is more expensive than ever, meaning that taxpayers are paying more but getting less.
Too much centralisation and over-supervision has led to a tangled bureaucracy, which focuses on compliance and box-ticking, rather than patient care, value for money and innovation. In one example, highlighted by Dame Patricia Hewitt’s 2023 review, one integrated care system received 97 ad-hoc requests in a month from DHSC and NHS England, in addition to the 6 key monthly, 11 weekly and 3 daily data returns.
The review also revealed the challenges caused by duplication – citing examples of tensions, wasted time and needless frictional costs generated by uncoordinated pursuit of organisational goals that do not take account of their wider effects.
Substantial reform, not just short term investment, is needed to deliver the government’s Plan for Change mission to get the NHS back on its feet and fit for the future, and this announcement is one of a series of steps the government is taking to make the NHS more productive and resilient so that it can meet the needs of the population it cares for.
NHS England’s new leadership team, Sir Jim Mackey and Dr Penny Dash, will lead this transformation while re-asserting financial discipline and continuing to deliver on the government’s priority of cutting waiting times through the Plan for Change.
These reforms will provide the structure necessary to drive forward the 3 big shifts identified by government as crucial to building an NHS fit for the future – analogue to digital, sickness to prevention and hospital to community.
Since July, the government has already taken significant steps to get the NHS back on its feet, including bringing an end to the resident doctor strikes, delivering an extra 2 million appointments 7 months early and cutting waiting lists by 193,000 since July.
Commenting on the Prime Minister’s announcement that NHS England is to be abolished, UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: “Everyone wants more to be spent on frontline services so the sick and injured can be treated sooner.
“Delays and long waits for operations and appointments have left several million unable to work, with a knock-on effect on economic growth.
“More of a focus and greater investment in the entire NHS team of staff, not just nurses and doctors, would help turn around the fortunes of a floundering NHS.
“Put simply the health service needs thousands more staff and to be able to hold on to experienced employees. At the moment, it’s struggling to do that. Giving staff a decent pay rise would help no end.
“But this announcement will have left NHS England staff reeling. Just days ago they learned their numbers were to be slashed by half, now they discover their employer will cease to exist.
“The way the news of the axing has been handled is nothing short of shambolic. It could surely have been managed in a more sympathetic way.
“Thousands of expert staff will be left wondering what their future holds. Wherever possible, their valuable skills must be redeployed and used to the benefit of the reformed NHS and patients.
“Ministers have to reassure employees right across the NHS that there’s a robust plan to rejuvenate a flailing NHS and deliver for working people.”
Following Sir Keir Starmer’s announcement to scrap NHS England, a leading cybersecurity expert has warned the move could leave the health service dangerously exposed to cyberattacks.
While the proposed reforms aim to cut bureaucracy and streamline services, he warns that removing NHS England’s centralised cybersecurity infrastructure is “like a hospital suddenly removing its emergency department and expecting patients to fend for themselves.”
Graeme Stewart, head of public sector at Check Point Software, said, “While the Prime Minister’s sweeping reforms cover everything from cutting red tape to reining in bureaucracy, one critical area must not be left in the lurch: our cybersecurity defences. Scrapping NHS England’s centralised services is not just a bureaucratic shake-up; it’s like a hospital suddenly removing its emergency department and expecting patients to fend for themselves.
“At present, NHS England provides the backbone for our cyber defences, from a unified email service to specialised threat protection. Removing these central functions risks leaving individual NHS Trusts to fend off cyberattacks with a patchwork of under-resourced teams. As the adage goes, ‘a chain is only as strong as its weakest link,’ and our cyber chain is already under severe strain with attacks on the rise.
“Moreover, dismantling these central services could open the door for a surge of third-party suppliers to step in. While more suppliers might seem like a win for competition, it also fragments our defence and leaves us vulnerable; each new supplier is a potential weak link in our security armour.
“We need a robust, unified security system that acts like a digital fortress, not a hodgepodge of outsourced patches. In the midst of these broad reforms, let’s ensure the cyber element isn’t left out in the cold. Our digital defences must be retained or replaced with an equally robust solution; otherwise, we’re setting the stage for a cyber disaster.”
British schoolchildren took their fight for global education funding straight to Westminster yesterday, as part of a powerful protest against government cuts to overseas aid.
Backed by TV presenter, Paralympian, and Street Child charity Ambassador Ade Adepitan MBE, students from the Send My Friend to School coalition urged policymakers to reverse the decline in education aid and prioritise investment in learning worldwide.
The demonstration came as the UK Government confirmed a further reduction in the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget, slashing it from 0.5% to 0.3% of Gross National Income.
With education already one of the most underfunded areas in global development, campaigners fear the cuts will leave millions more children without access to schooling.
Speaking at the event, Ade Adepitan reflected on the life-changing impact of education. “The only reason I’m where I am today is because of two reasons: luck and education,” he said.
“Lucky enough that my parents were brave enough to leave our home in Nigeria, give up everything for a better life, but also because of education. I was able to access a strong education in London that changed my life.”
Students leading the campaign made an impassioned case for urgent action, warning that education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty.
“Education is not just about learning subjects like maths or science,” said student activist Ewura. “It’s about giving young people the tools to build a better future. When children are educated, they can help change the world.”
Echoing the call, fellow campaigner Davi urged the UK to step up its leadership on the issue: “That’s why campaigns like Send My Friend to School are so important,” he said. “They remind leaders that education should be a top priority. And as young people, we have a voice too.
“We can speak up, raise awareness, and encourage real action.”
The protest highlighted the sharp decline in UK aid for education over the past decade. In 2013, education accounted for 13.5% of bilateral ODA spending, but by 2023, this had plummeted to just 3.5%.
While the UK remains the sixth-largest donor by volume, it now ranks 25th among OECD-DAC countries in prioritisation, falling far behind its international counterparts.
The Send My Friend to School coalition is demanding urgent action from the UK Government, calling for:
• A commitment to protect and reprioritise education aid within ODA spending.
• Full funding for key global education initiatives, including the Global Partnership for Education and Education Cannot Wait.
• Stronger UK support for international tax and debt reforms to help low-income countries sustainably increase their own education budgets.
While aid remains crucial, 87% of education financing in low-income countries comes from domestic sources.
Campaigners argued that the UK has a vital role in ensuring governments have the resources to invest in quality education for all.
The event was part of a wider movement, with Send My Friend to School mobilising 250,000 UK students every year to push for global education rights.
As the UK reassesses its international development priorities, campaigners are urging leaders to reaffirm their commitment to ensuring that education remains central to the country’s foreign aid agenda.
New era of global instability means Government must go further and faster in delivering missions.
PM to take on ‘cottage industry of checkers and blockers slowing down delivery for working people’.
Digital revolution underpins moves to a more agile, effective and active state – refocused on delivering Plan for Change.
Tech and AI teams will drive improvement and efficiency in public services with 2,000 new TechTrack apprentices.
Taxpayer’s money saved by slashing waste on pricey contractors.
Costs of regulation to be slashed for businesses to boost growth that puts more money in working people’s pockets.
The Prime Minister will today set out how he will “go further and faster in reshaping the state to make it work for working people.”
Reflecting on international events of the last few weeks, he will say that national security is economic security, and therefore “the fundamental task of politics right now is to take the decisions needed on national security, to deliver security for people at home.”
The Prime Minister will set out his belief in the power of “an active government that takes care of the big questions, so people can get on with their lives.”
He will share his diagnosis that the state has become bigger, but weaker and isn’t delivering on its core purpose, before outlining his mission to reshape it. He will say that the new global “era of instability” means that the Government must double down in delivering security for working people and renewing our nation.
The intervention follows the Government’s step change in approach to regulation and regulators, following the abolition of the Payments Systems Regulator as the Prime Minister commits to a government wide target to cut administrative costs of regulation by 25%.
New plans announced to support delivery will include new AI and tech teams sent into public sector departments to drive improvements and efficiency in public services. One in 10 civil servants will work in tech and digital roles within the next five years with 2,000 tech apprenticeships turbo charging the transformation.
The moves come as the Government slashes the costs of red tape by a quarter for businesses.
It is expected the Prime Minister will say: “The great forces buffeting the lives of working people, and an era of instability driving in their lives, the need for greater urgency now could not be any clearer. We must move further and faster on security and renewal.
“Every pound spent, every regulation, every decision must deliver for working people…If we push forward with the digitisation of government services. There are up to £45bn worth of savings and productivity benefits, ready to be realised.
“And that’s before we even consider the golden opportunity of artificial intelligence. An opportunity I am determined to seize.”
Fundamentally reshaping the way the British state delivers and serves working people by becoming more tech-driven, productive, agile and Mission focused will be set out alongside further detail on the digitalisation of public services and the wider British state.
The approach will be underpinned by the mantra that “No person’s substantive time should be spent on a task where digital or AI can do it better, quicker and to the same high quality and standard.”
The digitisation will include the sweeping modernisations, a new apprenticeship scheme, TechTrack, will bring 2,000 apprentices into public sector departments by 2030, making sure the UK Government has the skills needed to overhaul public services using tech – creating new opportunities across the country and delivering on the Plan for Change.
DSIT unveiled this week that initial tests of an AI helper for call centre workers included in the bundle, built in partnership with Citizens’ Advice, showed that it could halve the amount of time it takes call handlers to give responses to complex questions on anything from consumer rights to legal support.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: “There is a £45 billion jackpot to secure if we use technology properly across our public sector – but we can’t hope to come close to securing that if we don’t have the right technical talent with us in government.
“Not only will these changes help fix our public services, but it will save taxpayer cash by slashing the need for thousands of expensive contractors and create opportunities across the country across the country as part of our Plan for Change.”
Regulation will be cut back as Starmer sets out his latest steps to drive economic growth
Unnecessary regulation will be cut to boost growth that puts more money in working people’s pockets
Payment Systems Regulator abolished as part of efficiency drive
PM to set out how the Government is securing our future through the Plan for Change
Regulation will be cut back as the Prime Minister sets out his latest steps to drive economic growth that puts more money in working people’s pockets.
The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) will be abolished as the latest step in reducing the burdens on business.
The Government will set out further steps to reduce red tape in the coming days.
A strong economy is at the heart of the Government’s plan to deliver security and renewal through the Plan for Change.
The PSR – which looks after payment systems like Faster Payments and Mastercard – will mainly be consolidated into the Financial Conduct Authority, making it easier for firms to deal with one port of call.
It follows complaints from businesses that the regulatory environment was too complex – with payment system firms having to engage with three different regulators, costing them time, money and resource.
This has a greater impact on smaller businesses that are trying to scale and grow – as the costs are disproportionately higher for them.
The Prime Minister wants to make regulation work for the UK – and this is the latest step in his drive to create an environment that will kickstart economic growth.
It is only by creating growth that people will see a genuine increase in their living standards – with higher wages and more money in their pocket at the end of the month.
Prime Minister, Keir Starmer said: “For too long, the previous Government hid behind regulators – deferring decisions and allowing regulations to bloat and block meaningful growth in this country.
“And it has been working people who pay the price of this stagnation.
“This is the latest step in our efforts to kickstart economic growth, which is the only way we can fundamentally drive-up living standards and get more money in people’s pockets.
“That’s why it is the priority in the Plan for Change, and it’s why I’m not letting anything get in its way.”
Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said: “The regulatory system has become burdensome to the point of choking off innovation, investment and growth.
“We will free businesses from that stranglehold, delivering on our Plan for Change to kickstart economic growth and put more money into working people’s pockets.”
This builds on the Government’s deregulatory agenda, which has already:
Lifted the onshore wind ban at the stroke of a pen
Introduced the Planning and Infrastructure Bill
Launched the root and branch review of the water sector
Set financial services regulators on a growth agenda
Set up a review of all environmental regulation
Yesterday’s announcement does not result in any immediate changes to the Payment Systems Regulator’s remit or ongoing programme of work. The regulator will continue to have access to its statutory powers until legislation is passed by Parliament to enact these changes.
In the interim period, the Payment Systems Regulator and the Financial Conduct Authority will work closely to deliver a smooth transition of responsibilities to ensure the market remains competitive.
The entire regulatory landscape will continue to be reviewed and finessed as part of a wider Government effort to kickstart economic growth and make regulators work for the country, rather than block progress.
This is the latest in a line of work to make regulators work for the country. It follows:
A speech from the Prime Minister at the International Investment Summit where he called on the regulatory regime to fit the modern age.
A letter from the Prime Minister, the Chancellor and the Business Secretary – calling on regulators to come up with at least five reforms each that will boost economic growth.
The Chancellor ‘hauling in‘ regulators in January to have these proposals scrutinised.
