CHARITIES and disability support organisations have accused Labour of dishing out “brutal and reckless” cuts to welfare which should “shame the Government to its core”.
The third sector has reacted with fury to confirmation the UK Government will slash £5 billion from the welfare bill.
A package of changes announced by Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall on Tuesday featured alterations to the eligibility criteria for the Personal Independence Payment (PIP), meaning many will now not qualify to receive it.
Kendall confirmed applicants for PIP will now need to score a minimum of four points in at least one activity to qualify for the daily living element of the payment.
While PIP is being phased out in Scotland, with the devolved Adult Disability Payments (ADP) administered by Social Security Scotland expected to fully replace it by the end of 2025, the UK welfare cuts will reduce the money returning to Scotland for ADP.
James Taylor, executive director of strategy at disability equality charity Scope, said the cuts will result in a catastrophe for disabled people’s living standards and independence.
He said: “The biggest cuts to disability benefits on record should shame the government to its core. They are choosing to penalise some of the poorest people in our society. Almost half of families in poverty include someone who is disabled.
“The Government will be picking up the pieces in other parts of the system with pressure on an already overwhelmed NHS and social care, as more disabled people are pushed into poverty. “We urge the government to listen to disabled people and think again.”
Meanwhile, Trussell’s director of policy Helen Barnard (below), said people going to food banks – which the charity runs – are telling volunteers they are terrified of how they will survive amid these cuts.
She 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.
“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.”
Kendall announced PIP will not be frozen following a backlash from Labour MPs, though there had been suggestions that the idea was always pitched as a negotiating tactic to later concede.
Elsewhere, Kendall said the “complex” and “time-consuming” work capability assessment for Universal Credit is also set to be scrapped in 2028.
She further confirmed that the standard Universal Credit allowance will rise by £775 by 2029/30.
Kendall added that the UK Government "will legislate to rebalance the payments in Universal Credit from April next year, holding the value of the health top-up fixed in cash terms for existing claimants and reducing it for new claimants".
Kendall said the Government will consult on whether the health top-up to Universal Credit should be delayed for those aged under 22, with the savings spent on work support and training opportunities.
The UK Government will additionally consult on merging jobseeker’s allowance and employment support allowance, which will allow people who have paid into the system to get higher benefit payments for a period of time.
The proposal would merge the two benefits into a time-limited unemployment insurance which is paid at a higher rate.
A “right to try” initiative is also set to be launched, which Kendall (below) said will mean trying to get a job will never put a benefit at risk.
He said: "No truly moral choice would leave disabled people without the very support that is designed to allow them to lead a dignified life, nor would it leave them facing hardship.
“These would be unprecedented disability benefits cuts.
“Ideas like the Right to Try Guarantee help to remove the barriers that prevent people from working but enormous cuts mean the Government risks undermining these positives. Making it harder for people to qualify for support, or cutting their support, puts more pressure on people who are already struggling to cope.
"A government that came to office pledging to end the moral scar of food bank use clearly should not be taking steps that could leave disabled people at greater risk of needing to use one."
Mikey Erhardt, campaigner at Disability Rights UK, added: "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 instead simply about making brutal and reckless cuts amounting to £5 billion.
“Despite rising claims being driven by the increase in the retirement age, inadequate education and mental health support for young disabled people and a complete failure to tackle the disability employment and pay gaps, the government has decided to create a rhetorical smokescreen around the depth of cuts it's going to make.
“The government knows that the Work Capability Assessment is deeply flawed but using the PIP assessment process as a gateway makes clear that its goal is not to create a new system based on dignity, support, and equity but limiting access to support for disabled people.
“There is nothing ambitious about cutting support from those who need it and that’s what today’s announcements were really about.”
