On Tuesday 18 March, the Labour Party confirmed what many disabled people and campaigners feared: they are planning on killing disabled people with Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) benefits cuts.
DWP cuts: Kendall confirms the cruelty
Whilst the speech was full of what felt like deliberate and violent language, what was clear was that despite them trying to make it sound like a good thing and that disabled people would be supported, not a lot of DWP support was offered.
Kendall told the Commons that the DWP plan had five clear principles:
- “Stopping people from falling into long-term economic inactivity through early intervention and support”. This will be done through cutting the rate of Universal credit for new claimants.
- “Restoring trust and fairness in the system by fixing the broken assessment process that drives people into dependency on welfare”. This was announced by her boasting that PIP would not become vouchers and that PIP would not be frozen, two plans which were 100% never real in the first place.
- “Delivering better and more tailored employment support to get more people off welfare, into work – alongside a higher expectation to engage with that support”. This is seemingly job coaches and letting people work from home.
- “Ensuring the system is financially sustainable to keep providing for those who need it most”. This of course means once again DWP cuts.
So where are these cuts going to be?
Major changes
Well for one thing the Work Capability Assessment will be scrapped. Whilst this should be seen as cause for celebration from campaigners, what will happen is the worry.
Kendall announced that the rate of DWP Universal Credit standard allowance for new and existing claims would increase by a whole seven pounds in 2026. Current claimants will have their health element frozen at £97 per week until 2030, while new claimants will receive just £47 per week – down from £97.
However, the way this is being assessed will also change. It will become part of the PIP assessment to, as Kendall said:
be based on the impact of disability on daily living, not on capacity to work.
Crucially however, this would mean that the claimant would have to qualify for PIP too as well as Universal Credit, though there’s no clear timeline as to when WCA and DWP PIP will be merging, as it will require legislation to do so.
Kendall insisted however that anyone deemed unfit for work before 2026 and remains on LCWRA wont lose their health element or see their entitlement change.
However, PIP will also be harder to claim, with Kendall announcing that disabled people will now have to score four points or more on any particular part of the daily living section, meaning for example it would’ve been enough that you can’t wash your torso, now you will only qualify if you can’t wash your lower half. While being incontinent if its due to loss of bowel or bladder control would qualify, you won’t if you can get changed unaided after shitting yourself.
Another big change is that the government want to scrap contributory-based ESA with “work insurance” which would be the same rate as contributory ESA but “enable” people to look for work, i.e. force those who were told they wouldn’t have to because they previously contributed to society.
DWP: it will have blood on its hands
Kendall said:
We will protect disabled people who can’t and won’t ever be able to work and support them to live with dignity.
What is clear from Kendall’s announcement and the green paper today is that disabled people will be required to prove they deserve support even further in order to survive, something that many don’t have the capacity to do. The freezing and cut to Universal Credit’s health element is disastrous, too – and will lead to increased poverty and, potentially, people’s deaths.
However this is just the start. The consultation will run until 30 June and its vital that as many disabled people as possible tell the government how these changes will affect them.
You can view the full consultation here and respond here.
Featured image via the Canary
