The work and pensions secretary has announced deep cuts to payments made to many of those on disability and sickness benefits, though with a number of mitigations aimed at protecting the most disabled people.
Liz Kendall said the system was “failing the very people it is supposed to help and holding our country back”, citing statistics showing a rapid increase in disability claims.
She said one in 10 people of working age were claiming a sickness or disability benefit and 2.8 million people were out of work because of long-term sickness. But charities have said the changes will push more disabled people into poverty.
These are the key changes announced on Tuesday:
An overhaul of disability benefits to make only the most severely disabled eligible
At the heart of the measures are changes to personal independence payments (Pips), paid to people with a disability regardless of their income or whether they are in work. These payments can vary depending on the severity of the disability, and claims have risen significantly in recent years.
The government will legislate for a change in Pip so people will need to score a minimum of four points in at least one activity to qualify for the “daily living element” from November 2026. It will not affect the mobility component.
Scoring a four is a high bar. Needing prompting to prepare food, help with showering or washing and dressing the lower body, and needing help to engage with others are all measures that score below a four.
Kendall said she had rejected other proposals, including plans to bring in vouchers rather than cash for disabled people, means-testing Pip or freezing it.
Cuts for new claimants for the health top-up – but a rise in universal credit
The government says there is a “clear financial incentive to define yourself as incapable of work”. People who are permanently signed-off work because of sickness and receive the health top-up of universal credit receive more than twice as much as those looking for work.
The government says it wants to rebalance this. The health top-up will be frozen for existing claimants and cut for new claimants. But to mitigate – although it will not fully compensate – there will be a permanent above-inflation rise to the standard rate of universal credit. That means a pay rise for everyone, intended to try to move towards equalising the benefits received for those who cannot work with those who are looking for work.
Mental health support
• Mind runs a support line on 0300 102 1234 as a safe and confidential place to talk openly. It also has an information line, on 0300 123 3393, for details of where to get help near you. And its welfare benefits line – 0300 222 5782 – supports anyone with mental health problems who is navigating the benefits system.
• Samaritans is there to talk to you for free 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Call them on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.
• The disability charity Scope has a forum where you can chat in a supportive atmosphere to people going through the same experiences.
• NHS England has an online mental health triage service.
Benefits support
• The Trussell Trust's Help through Hardship helpline, on 0808 208 2138, is a free and confidential phone service offered alongside Citizens Advice that provides advice to people experiencing hardship. You can also find your local Trussell Trust food bank here.
• Benefits and Work provides guides, forums and newsletters to help people navigate the benefits system and get the support they are entitled to. This includes benefit applications and appeals.
• Turn2Us provides a free benefits calculator to help you find out what benefits you can claim, as well as a grants search service and a Pip Helper to assist you in applying for the benefit.
• The Law Centres website helps people find their local service for benefits support and more, while Advicelocal provides a search directory tool to find your local advice provider.
The universal credit increase will be about £64 a month in cash terms by 2029-30.
For new claims the cut to the top-up rate will be £47 a week or £2,444 a year. It will be frozen for current claimants, in practice a real-terms cut.
Kendall also said the government would consult on stopping people getting the health top-up for universal credit until they are 22.
‘Right to try’ work for disabled people without going back for a benefits reassessment
The government will legislate for a “right to try” work for disabled people, meaning they are not penalised if they attempt to work again. Kendall said it would mean guaranteeing that “work in and of itself will never lead to a benefit reassessment, giving people the confidence to take the plunge and try work without the fear this will put their benefits at risk”.
Work capability assessment scrapped from 2028
Kendall said the WCA to get the top health-related rate of universal credit was “complex, time-consuming and often stressful for claimants” and said it would be scrapped.
Instead, extra financial support for health conditions in universal credit will be available solely through the Pip assessment so extra income is based on the impact of someone’s health condition or disability, not on their capacity to work.
More face-to-face assessments for people claiming higher benefits for their disability
Kendall criticised the fact that face-to-face assessments under the Conservatives had fallen from seven in 10 to only one in 10.
She said the government would shift the focus back to doing more face-to-face assessments and said they would be recorded.
No reassessment for people with the most severe disabilities
Kendall said she wanted to end the stress and uncertainty for people with the most severe disabilities whose conditions would never improve. She said they would never be reassessed under the changes.
In an acknowledgment of the stressful and punitive process that has been in place, she said she would fundamentally overhaul the Department for Work and Pensions’ safeguarding approach.
Unemployment insurance could be paid at a higher rate than jobseeker’s allowance
Kendall said the government would consult on merging jobseeker’s allowance and employment and support allowance, meaning those who have paid into the system can get higher benefit payments for a period of time.
The proposal would introduce a time-limited unemployment insurance paid at a higher rate. Kendall said it would mean that for people who had paid in, “you’ll get stronger income protection while we help you get back on track”.
£1bn investment in new work programmes to get people back into jobs
After a long battle with the Treasury, Kendall has won more funding for a programme of changes, including overhauling jobcentres and the role of work coaches. Kendall said the government needed to do “far more” to help people stay in work and get back to work, including more rights to work from home that would help people stay in jobs.
Plans are being trialled for GPs to refer people to employment advisers rather than signing them off sick. There will also be a “keep Britain working” review led by the former John Lewis boss Charlie Mayfield, which will help establish what employers can do to keep disabled people in work.
