Calls for people with disabilities who ‘cannot work’ to be excluded from any benefits cuts have been given a major update after an official response from the Department for Work and Pensions.
Millions of people on benefits are living in fear of changes set to come in November 2026.
Eligibility requirements would be tightened to concentrate personal independence payments (PIP) on those with higher needs, meaning many presently receiving them will miss out as the government attempts to shave £5 billion off the benefits budget.
The Office of Budget Responsibility has examined the changes and said the main savings would come from tightening the PIP eligibility, cutting payments for about 800,000 claimants, and slashing health-related Universal Credit for three million families.
A tightening of eligibility for the main disability benefit Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and a cut to the health element of Universal Credit (UC) have prompted stark warnings and calls for a rethink.
Changes to PIP are expected to account for the largest proportion of savings, with the Resolution Foundation think tank estimating this could see between 800,000 and 1.2 million people in England and Wales losing support of between £4,200 and £6,300 per year by the end of the decade.
A petition on the parliament website has skyrocketed to over 10,000 signatures – calling for the government to ‘protect disabled people who cannot work from planned cuts to benefits.’
It says: “We want the Government to halt all planned benefit cuts for disabled people unable to work. Instead of reducing benefits, we want them to rise in line with inflation. We want support, not hardship and deprivation, for those who cannot work.
“We feel that disabled people who cannot work should not have their benefits cut. Acquired Disabilities can end careers, and we feel that those who previously contributed to tax deserve support.
“We also believe that people born Disabled need steady support without cuts. We feel the pandemic widened the gap between current financial support and the extra cost of living for Disabled people; these proposed cuts will worsen this.
“We think forcing people to work will strain the fragile NHS and that Disabled people should not be punished for being unable to work.” Now the DWP has replied as the petition crossed the 10,000 threshold.
It said: “Our welfare system is broken, costing almost a third as much as it does to run the NHS in England while leaving people for years on benefits with no offer of support, no hope of a future in work and no opportunity to improve their standard of living.
“Working-age adults who are in work are three times less likely to be in poverty than those out of work. We need to act to end the inequality that sees disabled people and people with health conditions trapped out of jobs, despite many wanting to work, and ensure our welfare system is there for people who need it, now and long into the future.”
“The proposed changes to Universal Credit rates mean that we will not be increasing all benefits in line with inflation as requested in the e-petition. We are, however, increasing the standard allowance of UC for both new and existing claims.
“Other benefits, including PIP, will be increased at least in line with inflation which is the statutory minimum. The changes will not come into force immediately – the changes to Universal Credit rates and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) eligibility will be implemented from 2026, subject to parliamentary approval.
“It is important that Members of Parliament have the opportunity to consider and debate all changes before they are implemented.”
It said the proposals are a green paper and as such as still being considered before implementation. If people want to put in their views they can do so by clicking here. If the petition reaches 100,000 signatures it will be considered for debate in the House of Commons.
What about disabled people who are able to work, they still need to claim PIP because they need help getting to work with a disability, so there are the travel costs, then there is the specialist aids, like electric wheelchairs – if they go wrong, they need to be repaired. Then there are the dietry costs because some people need to be on a special diet and the list goes on and on.
And don’t forget ‘white people’ who want to work will go to the bottom of the list for work now!
Perhaps if Keir Starmer blocked migrants from coming into the UK, that would shave a significant amount of money. Send them back from whence they came, but the problem is, they breed! However, breeding a child from a migrant family does not automatically make that child a British Citizen, so send them all back!
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 