The Government has said welfare cuts will be implemented in a “compassionate way”, amid a Labour call for the proposals to be dropped.
Work and pensions minister Sir Stephen Timms said the changes to personal independence payments (Pip) are “definitely not being rushed” and will be done in a “managed and compassionate way”.
He attempted to offer assurances after MPs continued to express concerns over the impact of the welfare cuts on tens of thousands of people.
Labour MP Rachael Maskell said she wanted to “speak truth to power” and asked the Government to “please reflect and please withdraw this policy”, a suggestion rejected by the minister.
The Government earlier this month announced a tightening of eligibility for the main disability benefit personal independence payment (Pip) and changes to the sickness element of universal credit.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves used her spring statement on Wednesday to also confirm that universal credit health benefits for new claimants will be halved in 2026 and then frozen until 2030.
An impact assessment estimated a £500 million cut in carers benefits by 2029/30, with around 150,000 people not receiving carer’s allowance or the carer element of universal credit as a result of the changes.
Sir Stephen, responding to an urgent question on the impact of changes to Pip on recipients of carer’s allowance, said the Government wanted to provide “proper” employment support for those people who can work and “a strong and sustainable safety net for everybody who needs it”.
He said: “We will change personal independence payment to focus support on those in the greatest need. That change will be in primary legislation for full debate and scrutiny in Parliament.
“The cost of personal independence payments has increased by £2 billion above inflation in each of the last five years and those increases are carrying on – that is simply not sustainable.”
Liberal Democrat work and pensions spokesman Steve Darling, who secured the urgent question, said: “Yesterday saw the biggest cuts to carer’s allowance for decades.
“Whilst we need to manage down appropriately the benefits budget, this needs to be done in a way that is caring and compassionate and far from rushed that we saw yesterday. We’re looking at approximately 150,000 carers losing allowances under these proposals – half-a-billion pounds will be taken away from those who care.”
Sir Stephen replied: “I very much agree with him that this all needs to be done in a managed and compassionate way. That is exactly how we’re doing it.
“I don’t agree with him that it’s being rushed. The changes won’t happen for over 18 months until November 2026, that’s when the change will take effect and they won’t effect current recipients’ personal independence payments until their first award review after November 2026 and typically review periods are three years, so this is definitely not being rushed, it’ll happen in a properly planned, staged and careful way.”
York Central MP Ms Maskell said: “Now we’ve had the impact assessment, we’ve seen that nearly 400,000 disabled people are going to be pushed further into poverty, 50,000 of them children, and 150,000 carers are going to lose the lifeline in providing that care. We don’t have a social care system to replace it. Besides, that’s more expensive.
“Today, I just want to speak truth to power, sometimes governments get things wrong, and I ask Government to seriously reflect on these policies. The first half of pathways to work is good, the second half is going to let a lot of people down. Please reflect and please withdraw this policy.”
Sir Stephen replied: “I’m grateful to (Ms Maskell), but we won’t be withdrawing. We’ll certainly be reflecting, and we’ll be consulting properly on the content of the green paper.
“The figures that were published by the Office of Budget Responsibility yesterday showed that the benefit changes on their own would take 250,000 people, 200,000 adults below the poverty line, but that is before any consideration of the impact of the big commitment we are making to employment support, up to a billion pounds a year by the end of the parliament, and that will clearly have a very – my view – a very positive effect in reducing poverty.”
He added: “I think the balance of this package will be a very, very positive one for reducing poverty in the UK.”
Carers UK said the changes not coming into effect until next year “will be of little comfort to thousands of unpaid carers”.
Tamara Sandoul, from the charity, said: “Many have contacted us to say they are shocked, worried and scared about what might happen if they or the person they care for no longer scores enough points in the right areas.
“Carers tell us that any reduction in vital benefits would hit them and their families hard.
“Losing Pip means losing Carer’s Allowance and other entitlements. Families will effectively lose two main strands of financial income at once.”
