Sir Keir Starmer is set to steam ahead with “perverse” cuts that could spark “absolute horror”. The Prime Minister has been met with resistance from members of his own party to a reported plan to cut welfare payments for some of the UK’s most seriously disabled citizens. The move could see 600,000 benefit claimants lose an average of £675 monthly. It has been suggested that this could include cuts to the personal independence payments (PIP), the main disability benefit. Some Labour MPs have expressed dismay.
This seemingly has led to a rethink of a rumoured policy to freeze PIP rather than increase it in line with inflation. This would result in a real-terms cut to 3.6 million claimants. The Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall, is reportedly due to set out proposals tomorrow. The Government has insisted reform is necessary because the number of people in England and Wales claiming sickness or disability benefits has increased from 2.8 million to about 4 million since 2019.
Therefore, the benefits bill has risen, reaching £48 billion in 2023-24. It is forecast to continue rising to £67 billion in 2029-30.
This total would exceed the current schools budget.
One Labour MP told The Guardian they were approaching the coming days with “absolute horror” and expected it to be “the worst week of the parliament”.
Other MPs said the government’s plan appeared “perverse” in targeting those who were not at work.
On Sunday, the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, said that Cabinet has not yet heard the full proposals, urging the public not to listen to “speculation”.
He told the BBC: “What I do know is the Work and Pensions Secretary wants to support people who need help the most, and we’ve got to make sure that there is a wide range of support and that everyone’s playing their part.”
The Mayor of Greater Manchester and former Labour leadership candidate Andy Burnham urged “caution” on benefit changes in The Times.
He said he agreed that the welfare system needed “a radical overhaul” but added that the government should focus on helping people get into work rather than simply cutting benefits.
Mr Burnham wrote: “I would share concerns about changing support and eligibility to benefits while leaving the top-down system broadly in place. It would trap too many people in poverty.
“And to be clear: there is no case in any scenario for cutting the support available to disabled people who are unable to work.”
