Many people have got in touch about the Government’s changes to disability benefits.
I am firmly of the belief that the Government has a duty to ensure the most vulnerable in our society are able to live with the dignity they deserve. Our welfare system should encourage and support people into work, while providing a safety net for those who need it most.
Under the previous Government, benefits were uprated by inflation in April 2024 meaning that the 5.5 million households on Universal Credit saw an average increase of £470 in 2024/25. This ensured that benefits retained their value, and being aware of the challenging economic backdrop the UK has faced between the Covid-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine in recent years, additional support had been provided as and when needed. More than 6.4 million individuals received a £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment in 2023. As well as an additional three payments totalling £900 for those on means-tested benefits, and the extension of the Household Support Fund, which has provided 26 million awards for vulnerable families.
We should also note that Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is not an unemployment benefit with many recipients going to work as a direct result of the support offered by the previous Government helping disabled people into the workplace. Between Q1 2017 and Q1 2022, the number of disabled people in employment increased by 1.3 million. Meaning that the previous Government exceeded their goal to see one million more disabled people in employment between 2017 and 2027 five years ahead of schedule.
All of this work is a stark contrast to the approach being taken by the current Government. The ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working’ Green Paper published on 18th March 2025 outlines the Government’s rushed decisions on welfare reform with savings being so poorly calculated that the Chancellor of the Exchequer had to revise the announcement only a short while later to compensate for the botched figures.
Honesty is an important guiding principle for any Government, and I know many people will feel let down by the lack of transparency shown by Labour Frontbenchers before the General Election on their plans to reform welfare. I am disappointed that after the Government’s constant shifting of their position, the Prime Minister has arrogantly decided that some of their changes to benefits do not need to be consulted upon. Government Ministers should be aware of the anxiety they cause families when leaking discussions on welfare to the media before formally announcing detailed policy proposals in Parliament.
The Government’s announcements on welfare prove that they are not up to the task. Their rushed changes are the worst of all worlds, frightening disabled people and at the same time failing to deal with the spiralling cost of welfare.
Many of us feel the system has grown imbalanced overtime and needs some significant reforms to ensure that support is afforded to those most in need. Indeed the rising cost of welfare is a growing challenge for any Government that requires urgent and detailed attention. It is, however, vital we fight for this to be achieved in a fair and open way.
