New reports of ‘tweaks' to planned DWP welfare reforms due to start next year
Sir Keir Starmer is said to be seeking to soften the blow of welfare cuts as he faces a growing threat of a backbench rebellion.
People on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) could be given more time to get help and support before planned changes to the welfare system are introduced by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) next year, according to new reports.
The Sunday Times reported that Sir Keir Starmer is said to be considering 'tweaks' to welfare cuts planned by his Labour Government. It said the Prime Minister is seeking to soften the blow as he faces the growing threat of a backbench rebellion over the package of measures, which ministers hope will save the public purse £5 billion a year.
People on PIP and Universal Credit could be given longer 'transitional periods' to seek out other benefits if they lose out as a result of the reforms, according to the Times.
A backbench rebellion over the proposals, which would tighten eligibility for the daily living component of PIP as part of a package aimed at getting more working age people currently on benefits into jobs, could spread to more than 100 MPs, some reports have suggested.
Peter Lamb, the Labour MP for Crawley, is the latest to publicly state he would vote against the plan.
He told BBC Radio 4's Westminster Hour he would be 'voting against anything which is going to restrict access to PIP further than it's currently restricted'.
He also said many Labour MPs across different wings of the party are 'deeply uncomfortable' with what ministers are planning.
Labour backbenchers have already secured a partial U-turn from Sir Keir over the Winter Fuel Payment cuts.
A change of direction on Winter Fuel Payments was announced during PMQs in the Commons last week, though details of when and how more pensioners might get the payment were not revealed.
However, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner indicated on Sunday an announcement could come next month.
Ms Rayner suggested the Spending Review on June 11 was the 'first opportunity' to make the change.
She told Sky News: 'I mean, the Prime Minister has announced it, so logically to me that indicates that the Prime Minister wants to do something in this area.
'And if the Prime Minister wants to do that, I'm sure the Chancellor is going to look at how we can achieve that.'
Elsewhere, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is expected this week to commit to restoring the Winter Fuel Payment in full.
Summary of proposed benefits changes
Universal Credit
The latest statistics show there were 7.57 million people on Universal Credit, a means-tested incapacity benefit, in Great Britain as of February. It is aimed at helping people on a low income or those who are out of work.
The UK Government said it will introduce an above-inflation rise to the standard Universal Credit allowance by 2029/30 - adding £775 in cash terms annually. But the health element allowance will be almost halved for new claimants from April next year while those already claiming will have their amount frozen until 2029/2030.
The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) is to be scrapped in 2028, having been described by Liz Kendall as 'complex, time consuming and often stressful for claimants'.
The UK Government said it will legislate for a so-called 'right to try', which will allow people to try work without the fear their benefits will automatically be put at risk.
The Government said it will consult on delaying access to the Universal Credit health element until someone is aged 22. The latest figures showed there were 109,436 people aged 16 to 21 on Universal Credit health in December 2024.
PIP
Nearly 3.7 million claimants in England and Wales were entitled to PIP as of the end of January, the latest figures showed - up 71 per cent on the equivalent figure five years earlier when it stood at 2.14 million.
The payment is aimed at helping with some of the extra costs caused by long-term disability and ill health and is not dependent on whether someone is working or not.
Some people will lose their PIP entitlement, the UK Government said, as the process to qualify is tightened in an effort to focus the disability benefit on 'those with higher needs'.
The UK Government said it will bring in a new eligibility requirement for a minimum score of at least four points regarding how much help the person needs with everyday tasks on the daily living element of the benefit.
No change is being proposed for the mobility element, which looks at how much help someone needs in getting around.
The UK Government confirmed the change 'means that people who only score the lowest points on each of the PIP daily living activities will lose their entitlement in future'.
The UK Government also committed to not putting Universal Credit claimants who have the most severe disabilities and health conditions that will never improve through the ordeal of being reassessed for benefits 'to give them the confidence and dignity they deserve'.
However the UK Government said it plans to increase the number of face-to-face assessments in PIP and under the current Work Capability Assessment in a bid to 'give confidence to claimants and taxpayers that they're being done properly'.
The UK Government said it will also consult on raising the age at which people can claim PIP from 16 to 18.
Online consultation
The DWP has published the 'Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working' consultation online at GOV.UK.
The consultation is seeking views on the approaches the UK Government should consider around reform of the health and disability benefits system and employment support.
The consultation on GOV.UK states: 'This Green Paper is an important staging post on a journey of reform, building on the vision and approach set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper in November 2024. It sets out our vision, strategy and proposals for change.'
It continues: 'We want to improve and refine our plans by consulting on certain measures as described within this paper. We are committed to putting the views and voices of disabled people and people with health conditions at the heart of everything we do.'
Who can complete the consultation?
The DWP is encouraging a 'wide group' of people to share their views 'in particular disabled people and people with health conditions and disability organisations'.
This consultation applies to England, Wales and Scotland.
All the proposals apply in England, but it's important to be aware that the proposals will only apply to the UK Government's areas of responsibility in England, Wales and Scotland.
To complete the consultation, scroll to the bottom of the page here where it says 'Ways to respond'. The consultation will close on June 30, 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
44 minutes ago
- The Sun
Surge in support for Reform in by-election puts Labour seriously under threat, warns expert
A SURGE in support for Reform in a hotly-contested by-election puts Labour seriously under threat, an expert has warned. Nigel Farage's party finished a close third with more than 26 per cent of the vote narrowly behind both Labour and the SNP in the ballot in Hamilton, Scotland. The party said it was a 'remarkable' turnaround picking up 7,088 compared to just 58 votes in the constituency in 2021 as it attempted to win its first seat in Holyrood. Election guru John Curtice said it would be a 'serious misreading' to believe that Labour had turned round its election fortunes, with the Scottish elections next May. He told the BBC: 'Reform are making the political weather north of the border, as indeed they are south of the border.' Reform deputy leader Richard Tice said: 'We've come from nowhere to being in a three-way marginal, and we're within 750 votes of winning that by-election and just a few hundred votes of defeating the SNP.' The performance came just hours after Zia Yusuf resigned as party chair plunging the party into chaos following a row about banning burqas. In a parting shot, he said he no longer believed trying to get Nigel Farage elected as PM was a 'good use of my time'. Mr Yusuf's shock resignation - just weeks after masterminding their local elections triumph - came after an internal row about banning the burqa. The multi-millionaire ex-businessman had attacked the party's newest MP Sarah Pochin as 'dumb' for asking Sir Keir Starmer to outlaw the Muslim face covering in the Commons. But insiders said tensions at the top of Reform had been brewing for some time, with the chairman feeling increasingly sidelined. In a statement, Mr Yusuf said: 'Eleven months ago I became Chairman of Reform. Watch moment Nigel Farage makes back door exit as Reform UK leader dodges protesters in Scotland 'I've worked full time as a volunteer to take the party from 14 to 30 per cent, quadrupled its membership and delivered historic electoral results. 'I no longer believe working to get a Reform government elected is a good use of my time, and hereby resign the office.' 2
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Swinney is punished for decades of SNP failure in crushing by-election defeat
'Humiliated' John Swinney saw his party beaten by Labour in another by-election amid claims voters punished the SNP for 18 years of 'abject failure'. Just hours after the First Minister confidently predicted there was 'no way' Labour could win the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse Holyrood seat, Anas Sarwar's party triumphed by 602 votes in what should have been a safe bet for SNP. The surprise win, achieved in spite of voter fury at UK Labour cuts and a media-shy candidate dubbed the Invisible Man, left SNP activists reeling at the count. New MSP Davy Russell said the Nationalists had 'broken the NHS, wasted money, and after nearly two decades, they don't deserve another chance'. And Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie said: 'John Swinney has been humiliated by this result. 'The voters have clearly punished the SNP for their 18 years of misrule.' In other developments: Nigel Farage said Reform UK's strong third place showed it was 'just getting started in Scotland' Russell Findlay apologised to voters after the Scottish Tories came fourth, saying 'My party let you down in government and we accept responsibility for our mistakes' Former SNP cabinet secretary Alex Neil said 'the current SNP leadership needs to be replaced urgently', while former SNP deputy Jim Sillars accused Mr Swinney of a 'manifest failure to read the street' and called him 'unfit' to lead Ex-SNP MP Joanna Cherry KC said her party was 'stagnant' and 'needs a major rethink' An elated Mr Anas Sarwar yesterday said it was the springboard to a Labour win at Holyrood and predicted the era of Nationalist rule was coming to an end. Celebrating with Mr Russell and a throng of activists in the summer sun, Mr Sarwar said it was 'pretty obvious' that Mr Swinney was now on 'borrowed time'. He said the SNP had run a 'shameful' campaign that glossed over the party's record and tried to focus on Reform because Mr Swinney 'knows the record is one of abject failure'. He said: 'What we're seeing now is the running down of the clock. This is an SNP government that has lost its way. The balloon is burst. They're out of ideas.' Mr Sarwar said he believed the victory to be 'even more significant' than the party's win in the nearby Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election in October 2023 - which he said had been key in helping to secure Labour's general election win in July last year. At a low-key press conference in Edinburgh, a dejected Mr Swinney admitted his party had not recovered last year's general election thrashing, when it lost 39 of its 48 MPs. 'The SNP's made some progress but it's not enough and we've got to make further progress before the elections next May,' he said. The by-election was triggered by the death of SNP minister Christina McKelvie from cancer at the age of 57. It was one of the ugliest campaigns in modern Scottish politics, with accusations of racism levelled against Reform after it homed its attacks on Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar. A Reform campaign advert claimed Mr Sarwar had said he wanted to 'prioritise the Pakistani community' based on a 2022 speech in which he said no such thing. Mr Swinney tried to use the advert and Reform's rising support to turn the contest into a battle between his own party and Nigel Farage's and exclude Labour. He claimed it was a 'two-horse race' in which Labour didn't feature. 'I'm confident we've done enough to win the contest,' he said on the eve of the poll. 'Labour can't win. It's over for the Labour Party. There's no way they can win here, after the disastrous record of the Labour government.' But Labour's traditional door-by-door campaigning and an affable local candidate who highlighted deteriorating public services under the SNP narrowly won out. Mr Russell erased an SNP majority of 4,582 on a 7 per cent swing to Labour. Labour's share of the vote was 31.5 per cent, down from the 33.6 per cent at the 2021 Holyrood election. The SNP's vote share slumped by more than a third from 46.2 per cent to 29.3 per cent. Despite hype about overtaking Labour or even winning, Reform UK came third, but achieved a 26.1 per cent share despite not having a Holyrood candidate in the seat before The Scottish Conservatives came fourth but narrowly held on to their deposit.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Labour hails ‘incredible' by-election victory – but can it see off Reform to win Holyrood in 2026?
Against expectations, Labour won the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election for the Scottish parliament. Anas Sarwar, its leader in Scotland, hailed the result as an 'incredible victory' and declared that voters are 'tired of SNP failure' but have 'rejected Reform 's poison'. However, with a little less than a year before the next elections at Holyrood, it's by no means clear who the next first minister will be. What happened in Hamilton? The by-election was held following the death earlier this year of Scottish government minister, Christina McKelvie. Labour's Davy Russell won after a swing of more than 7 per cent from the SNP to Labour, with 8,559 votes, beating SNP candidate Katy Loudon on 7,957 and Reform's Ross Lambie on 7,088. Mr Sarwar said: 'The choice is stark next year ... it is about choosing a government here in Scotland. The choice is stark – a third decade of the SNP with John Swinney as first minister or a new direction for Scotland with me as first minister.' Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice insisted his party was 'delighted' with coming third. 'We've come from nowhere to being in a three-way marginal, and we're within 750 votes of winning that by-election and just a few hundred votes of defeating the SNP, so it's an incredible result,' he said. Was it an 'incredible victory' for Labour? No. Labour did far worse than in a 2023 by-election for Westminster, and in last year's election. It even did a little worse here than it did in the 2021 Holyrood elections. What's more, it was hardly ahead of the SNP or, more shockingly, Reform UK. A shift of a few hundred votes out of the total of 27,155 cast could have swung it for any of three main contenders. It was really a three-way fight, and could easily have been won by either of the other two, with Labour possibly finishing a close third. The outstanding features were the collapse in SNP and Conservative support, plus a Reform UK surge in unpromising territory. What does it tell us about Labour? This took place in the central belt, where Labour staged a remarkable revival last year but has since suffered a steep decline, so the result was broadly in line with what opinion polls are telling us. So who will win the Scottish elections next year? Nobody, in the sense that the SNP will suffer heavy losses and Labour may do scarcely better than it did in 2021. On the current showing, the SNP will most likely emerge as the largest party unless Labour can stage a recovery and take voters away from the SNP, who've been in power since 2007. On the basis of this by-election and the opinion polls, no one will get anywhere near an overall majority, and it will be difficult for any realistic majority to be cobbled together. The Scottish election system has a good deal of proportionality in it which means that, unlike the first-past-the-post arrangement for the House of Commons, many more parties will gain a larger representation. Thus it seems likely that the SNP, Labour, Reform, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and possibly the Scottish Greens and Alba will be represented to some extent. The SNP, despite its slump since 2021, may well still be the largest single party, on about 32 per cent of the vote, ahead of Labour. But the SNP would need the support of other, mostly unionist, parties if it wanted to govern on a truly stable basis – at the moment, an unlikely scenario. Alternatively, the SNP, possibly under new leadership, could follow the example of Alex Salmond in his first term as first minister from 2007 to 2011, and govern on a 'policy by policy' basis as a minority administration. Either way, the relative weakness of the SNP would stymie any further push for independence. But Labour, who beat the SNP in Scotland at last year's Westminster election, will be disappointed in 2026 if they fail to retake Holyrood, which they once dominated so effortlessly.
