On Wednesday 26 March, protesters across the country are mobilising against the Labour Party-led Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) brutal cuts to vital disability and health-related benefits. In multiple cities and towns all over the UK, activists will turn out with a resounding message to the Labour government: to end its war on chronically ill and disabled people.
DWP benefit cuts: the disability green paper will end in disaster
As the Canary previously reported, on Tuesday 18 March DWP boss Liz Kendall laid out the government’s broad catalogue of plans to ‘reform’ disability and health-related income-based benefits. It set this out in its Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working green paper. Broadly, this made for a callous cocktail of catastrophic cuts and changes that will harm chronically ill and disabled claimants.
Notably, the paper included a suite of regressive reforms to make it harder for people to claim disability benefits like Personal Independence Payment (PIP). As expected, the changes it’s proposing will target certain claimants in particular, namely young, neurodivergent, learning disabled, and those with mental health disorders. Alongside this, there’ll be cuts to out-of-work benefits like the LCWRA health-related component of Universal Credit. Once again, it additionally wants to make this harder to claim, and all as it ramps up reassessments and conditions for doing so.
The government is now consulting on some of these plans until 30 June. You can respond to this here. However, there’s also a number of plans the government isn’t consulting on. And appallingly, the government has yet to publish any impact assessment on these plans. However, what’s clear already is that these will hit chronically ill and disabled claimants hardest. Research from multiple think tanks and campaign groups over the proposals – many put forward by previous Conservative governments – have painted a bleak picture of the harm these will enact on some of the most vulnerable communities.
DPAC and others gear up to take on the DWP cuts
So, in response to Labour’s cruel plans, activists have organised numerous demonstrations across the country.
Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) are holding a major protest in London to coincide with chancellor Rachel Reeves delivering the government’s Spring Statement.
Protesters will meet outside Downing Street at 11am for a day of protest and action.
The Canary is supporting there in support and solidarity on the day, and will be livestreaming the event:
Can’t get to the London action on 26th March or a local one in your area?
Want to watch the action📢
Stop the press!
📢🔥The protest in london will be livestreamed by @TheCanaryUKSo from your beds, living rooms, wherever you are u can join us pic.twitter.com/eD8Hn8ptnh
— DPAC (@Dis_PPL_Protest) March 23, 2025
Alongside the all-day demonstration in London, under the banner and hashtag #WelfareNotWarfare, groups over the country are participating in the National Day of Action:
❌🔥Announcement 📢
Here is a graphic map of all actions across the UK on 26.03.25
With all details of times, addresses in the link here
⬇️https://t.co/zBRai7gAmt pic.twitter.com/BoTli5UAgH— DPAC (@Dis_PPL_Protest) March 21, 2025
National Day of Action: where are protests taking place?
At the time of writing, protests have been planned for the following locations on 26 March:
Scotland
Aberdeen – Meet Outside Marischal College, Broad Street, Aberdeen, AB10 1AB 12pm (organised by DPAC)
Glasgow – Meet outside Ministry of Defence 65 Brown Street Glasgow G2 8EX 12:30pm
Northeast
Newcastle – Grey’s Monument, 150 Grainger Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 5AF 12-2pm (organised by Crips Against Cuts)
Darlington – Darlington Town Hall, Fleethams, Darlington DL1 5QT 12-2pm (organised by Crips Against Cuts)
York – Meet Outside the Guildhall, St Helen’s Square, York 5pm onwards (organised by YDRF)
Leeds – Leeds Bus station 11am-1pm (organised by DPAC, supported by Leeds and York Unite community)
Northwest
Lancaster and Morecambe – Dalton Square, Lancaster, LA1 1PL (organised by DPAC)
East
Cambridge – Leafleting outside the Grafton Centre 12.30-1.30pm, rally outside the Guildhall 5.30-6.30pm (organised by DPAC)
Norwich – outside Norwich City Hall, St Peter’s Street, Norwich Norfolk NR2 1NH 12-2pm (organised by DPAC)
Midlands
Chesterfield – outside Chesterfield Labour Club, Unity House, 113 Saltergate, Chesterfield, Derbyshire, S40 1NF 4.30pm onwards (organised by Crips Against Cuts)
Wales
Cardiff – Office of Jo Stevens MP, Secretary of State For Wales, 116 Albany Road, Cardiff, CF24 3RU 6.30pm ( organised by Cardiff People’s Assembly)
Swansea – Castle Square, Swansea SA1 3PP 1pm onwards (organised by DPAC)
North of Ireland
Derry – Guildhall, Londonderry, BT48 7BB 1pm onwards (organised by DPAC)
Southeast
Brighton – Hove Town Hall, Brighton, BN2 3BQ 11am – 1pm stationary protest with banners (organised by Crips Against Cuts and DPAC)
Margate – outside east Thanet’s Labour MP Polly Billington Office 44, Northdown Road, Cliftonville, Margate, Kent CT3 2RW 11am (organised by DPAC)
Additionally, some groups have planned actions for after the 26 March:
1 April – Manchester – 32 Market Street, Manchester, M1 1PL 12pm (organised by DPAC)
5 April – Portsmouth – Portsmouth Guildhall 2-4pm
A message loud and clear to Labour
If the Labour Party government thought it could get away with its cut to little fanfare, it has another thing coming. Chronically ill and disabled people and allies will remind the Labour-led DWP that “nothing about us, without us” means listening to our communities first and foremost, rather than railroading dangerous policies through that run roughshod over them.
On 26 March, protesters in 16 places around the country (and counting) will make sure the Labour government hears them loud and clear. The Labour-led DWP’s war on chronically ill and disabled people must end and it must no longer use us as its convenient political football.
Featured image via DPAC
