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Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
DWP bonus payment this year for millions who claim PIP and State Pension
The DWP Christmas Bonus is a one-off, tax-free payment of £10 made to people in receipt of certain benefits - but not Universal Credit. Here's everything you need to know Millions of people on benefits will receive a modest cash uplift before the new year rings in. Nearly 24 million individuals across the UK are currently claiming at least one benefit from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). This figure includes 13 million pensioners receiving State Pension payments, 5.7 million on Universal Credit, and 3.7 million Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants. However, many people, including those newly eligible for the State Pension, may not be aware of an annual bonus paid to claimants on certain benefits before Christmas. It comes on the back of news that the DWP is paying up to £749.80 every month to people with stomach issues. The DWP 'Christmas Bonus' is a one-off, tax-free payment of £10 made to people in receipt of certain benefits - but not Universal Credit. Those on the State Pension, PIP, Attendance Allowance and Carer's Allowance will automatically receive the money before Christmas - if they meet the eligibility criteria during a specific qualifying period, typically the first full week in December, reports Chronicle Live. It's worth noting the DWP will issue this as a separate payment, independent of your scheduled State Pension or benefit payment, so it may arrive on a different day, reports the Daily Record. Nobody needs to apply for the additional £10 as it should automatically appear in the account where you normally receive your benefit payment or State Pension. It typically appears as 'DWP XB' on bank statements and online accounts. The £10 Christmas Bonus was introduced by Ted Heath's Conservative Government in 1972. It hasn't seen an increase since its inception over five decades ago and in today's money, it would be worth approximately £118 - when calculated using the composite price index published by the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS). Who's eligible for the £10 Christmas Bonus? To qualify for the Christmas Bonus you must live or be an 'ordinarily resident' in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, or Gibraltar, during the qualifying week of December 1 - 7 (to be confirmed). The DWP will get in touch with eligible claimants to inform them that they will receive the £10 bonus in December, although this correspondence sometimes arrives after the payment has been processed. Qualifying benefits You must also be receiving at least one of the following benefits in the qualifying week: Mobility Supplement Industrial Death Benefit (for widows or widowers) Pension Credit - the guarantee element Child Disability Payment (Scotland only) Pension Age Disability Payment (Scotland only) Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance (once the main phase of the benefit is entered after the first 13 weeks of claim) Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Armed Forces Independence Payment Severe Disablement Allowance (transitionally protected) Disability Living Allowance Constant Attendance Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes) War Disablement Pension at State Pension age War Widow's Pension State Pension (including Graduated Retirement Benefit) Incapacity Benefit at the long-term rate Widowed Mother's Allowance Unemployability Supplement or Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes) Carer Support Payment (Scotland only) Carer's Allowance Attendance Allowance Adult Disability Payment (Scotland only) Widow's Pension Widowed Parent's Allowance Not everyone over State Pension age will receive the payment. DWP guidance on states: "If you have not claimed your State Pension and are not entitled to one of the other qualifying benefits you will not get a Christmas Bonus." The DWP has clarified that if you're part of a married couple, in a civil partnership or living together as though you are, and both of you receive one of the qualifying benefits, you will each be entitled to a £10 Christmas Bonus payment. Even if your partner or civil partner doesn't receive one of the qualifying benefits, they may still be eligible for the Christmas Bonus if certain conditions are met: you're both over State Pension age by the end of the qualifying week your partner or civil partner was also present (or 'ordinarily resident') in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Gibraltar, European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland during the qualifying week Additional criteria must also be met: You are entitled to an increase of a qualifying benefit for your partner or civil partner the only qualifying benefit you are getting is Pension Credit Claiming process You don't need to apply for the Christmas Bonus - it should be automatically credited. More information about the Christmas Bonus can be found on
Daily Record
15-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
People on State Pension, PIP and other benefits due extra DWP payment later this year
People will receive the one-off payment from the DWP if they are eligible during the qualifying week in December. Pension Credit – Could you or someone you know be eligible? Nearly 24 million people across the UK are claiming at least one benefit from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). That number includes 13m older people in receipt of State Pension payments (classed a contributory benefit), 5.7m on Universal Credit and 3.7m Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants. However many people, including those new to State Pension age retirement, or people in receipt of disability benefits such as the new devolved Pension Age Disability Payment, or Adult/Child Disability Payment, may not be aware of an annual bonus paid to claimants on certain benefits before Christmas. The DWP 'Christmas Bonus' is a one-off, tax-free payment of £10 made to people in receipt of certain benefits - but not Universal Credit. Those on the State Pension, PIP, devolved Scottish disability benefits, Attendance Allowance, Carer's Allowance - 23 benefits in total - will receive the money automatically before Christmas - if they meet the eligibility criteria during a specific qualifying period, which is typically the first full week in December. It's worth noting that the DWP will issue this as a separate payment, independent of your scheduled State Pension or benefit payment, so it may arrive on a different day. Nobody needs to apply for the extra £10 as it should automatically go into the account where you usually receive your benefit payment or State Pension. It usually shows as 'DWP XB' on bank statements and online accounts, but we will confirm the exact code to look out for nearer the time. The £10 Christmas Bonus was introduced by Ted Heath's Conservative Government in 1972. It has not been uprated or increased since it launched over five decades ago and in today's money, it would be worth around £118 - when calculated under the composite price index published by the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS). Who is eligible for the £10 Christmas Bonus? To qualify for the Christmas Bonus you must be present or 'ordinarily resident' in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man, Gibraltar, during the qualifying week of December 1 - 7 (to be confirmed). The DWP will write to eligible claimants advising them that they will be receiving the £10 bonus in December, but this sometimes arrives after the payment has been made. Qualifying benefits You must also get at least one of the following benefits in the qualifying week: Adult Disability Payment (Scotland only) Armed Forces Independence Payment Attendance Allowance Carer's Allowance Carer Support Payment (Scotland only) Child Disability Payment (Scotland only) Constant Attendance Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes) Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance (once the main phase of the benefit is entered after the first 13 weeks of claim) Disability Living Allowance Incapacity Benefit at the long-term rate Industrial Death Benefit (for widows or widowers) Mobility Supplement Pension Age Disability Payment (Scotland only) Pension Credit - the guarantee element Personal Independence Payment (PIP) State Pension (including Graduated Retirement Benefit) Severe Disablement Allowance (transitionally protected) Unemployability Supplement or Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes) War Disablement Pension at State Pension age War Widow's Pension Widowed Mother's Allowance Widowed Parent's Allowance Widow's Pension Not everyone over State Pension age will get the payment, DWP guidance on explains: 'If you have not claimed your State Pension and are not entitled to one of the other qualifying benefits you will not get a Christmas Bonus.' Married or cohabiting couples and civil partnerships The DWP guidance explains that if you're part of a married couple, in a civil partnership or living together as if you are and you both get one of the qualifying benefits you will each get a £10 Christmas Bonus payment. If your partner or civil partner does not get one of the qualifying benefits, they may still get the Christmas Bonus if both the following apply: you're both over State Pension age by the end of the qualifying week your partner or civil partner was also present (or 'ordinarily resident') in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Gibraltar, European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland during the qualifying week One of the following must also apply: You are entitled to an increase of a qualifying benefit for your partner or civil partner the only qualifying benefit you are getting is Pension Credit How to claim You do not need to claim the Christmas Bonus - you should get it automatically. Find out more about the Christmas Bonus on here.
Scotsman
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
How Edinburgh helped decide Britain's relationship with Europe 50 years ago
Britain's vote to leave the European Union in 2016 - nine years ago this month - was a close-run thing and came as a shock whose repercussions are still being felt today. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... But it was a different story in the UK's first ever national referendum in 1975, when voters decisively backed British membership of what was then known as the European Economic Community (EEC) or Common Market. While the Brexit result - 52 per cent to 48 in favour of Leave - reflected a divided nation and forced the departure of Tory prime minister David Cameron, the vote 50 year ago was 67 per cent to 33 to stay in and represented a convincing victory for Labour's Harold Wilson. Prime Minister Harold Wilson goingto vote on referendum day 1975, accompanied by his wife Mary. Picture: Keystone/Getty Images. | Getty Images Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He had called the referendum, held on Thursday June 5, 1975, to allow the British people the say they had not been given when Ted Heath's Tory government took the country into the EEC without any ballot on January 1, 1973. Labour had made a manifesto pledge to renegotiate the UK's terms of membership and then hold a referendum to decide whether Britain remained in. It was also a way to deal with the internal tensions inside the Labour party, where there were passionate pro-Europeans as well as fierce critics of "the Market". There was much debate about the rights and wrongs of holding a referendum. Opponents called it "un-British", "a constitutional monstrosity" and incompatible with parliamentary government. But supporters pointed out referendums had been used in Northern Ireland and the Commonwealth and recalled that Ted Heath had promised he would take Britain into the EEC with "the full-hearted consent of the British people". The ballot paper in the 1975 referendum asked people to vote Yes or No to staying in the EEC | x Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Talks with Europe, led by Harold Wilson and Foreign Secretary James Callaghan, did not achieve the "fundamental renegotiation" they had wanted. But they did secure a partial refund of Britain's inflated financial contribution to the EEC. They were also helped by a change of leadership in both France and Germany, rising world food prices which closed the gap with those in Europe and support from Commonwealth countries for Britain staying in. The campaign saw politicians from different parties co-operating - with varying degrees of enthusiasm - on each side of the debate. There were two umbrella organisations - Britain in Europe running the Yes campaign and the National Referendum Campaign co-ordinating the No side. There was some debate among politicians on the issue of democracy and loss of sovereignty. But polls consistently found the topics which voters were interested in were food prices and jobs. Leading Labour anti-Marketeer Barbara Castle made a well-publicised shopping trip to Brussels to show prices were higher inside the Common Market. But in retaliation, the pro-EEC campaign sent one of their members to Norway - which had voted against joining - to prove that shopping was even more expensive outside. Barbara Castle and helpers display a variety of goods purchased in London and Brussels to support their claim that prices were higher inside the EEC. Picture: Keystone/Getty Images | Getty Images Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Evening News organised its own shopping expedition, running a competition to choose two shoppers and sending them to Amsterdam as guests of the Dutch Dairy Board. "I must admit I was quite shocked to see that most of their food in tins and packets with well-known brand names were twice or three times more expensive than in Scotland," said Mrs Ella Daniel, 31, from Cortorphine. "But their fruit and vegetables were about the same price or cheaper and much nicer and fresher looking, They also have a greater selection. Alcohol is also cheaper." Mrs Kathy Urquhart, 60, from Kingsknowe, said: "The Dutch also have a generally higher standard of living with bigger wages than here. But we were told they do pay a lot of income tax and have a lot of deductions for their various social benefits." Both women said despite the prices, they still planned to vote to stay in. The Trades Union Congress formally backed a vote to leave the EEC, though some key union figures backed Yes. And an Economist poll found 95 per cent of businesses favoured staying in. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The week before the vote, the Evening News reported how Peter Balfour, chairman of Scottish & Newcastle breweries, warned that leaving the Common Market would result in the loss of jobs for some of the company's employees in Edinburgh. Waverley Vintners, based in Holyrood Road and responsible for the group's wine and beer exports, would be worst hit, he said. William Reilly, chairman of the shop stewards' committee at S&N, branded the warning "a form of political blackmail". And Robin Cook, then Labour MP for Edinburgh Central, criticised employers for trying to influence the votes of workers. He cited one constituent who received a letter from her employer urging her to vote in favour of the EEC. "She was even invited to draw this advice to the attention of her family - the whole family would be voting according to the wishes of the boss. I am sure many workers will respond with some degree of sceptical indignation." Liberal David Steel in June 1975. He described Scottish anti-Marketeers as the "most narrow, inward-looking, xenophobic forces which Scotland could muster". | TSPL Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad David Steel, then Liberal chief whip, described Scotland's anti-Marketeers as the "most narrow, inward-looking, xenophobic forces which Scotland could muster". And he rejected claims that EEC membership would obstruct plans for devolution in Scotland and Wales. Malcolm Rifkind, Conservative MP for Edinburgh Pentlands, argued that if there was a Yes vote to stay in the EEC, Edinburgh should become the centre of administration for the European Regional Fund. In an open letter to constituents he said: "In our two years of membership there have already been major benefits in Edinburgh and the Lothian Region. More than £1,500,000 of grants and loans have been made available and the regional fund will ensure continuing benefits." But Leith Labour MP Ronald King Murray, who was the Lord Advocate, told a press conference he would be voting No because he was concerned about the loss of parliamentary power and because the principal aims of the founding treaty were economic rather than social or human. Newly-elected Conservative leader Margaret Thatcher with 'Keep Britain in Europe' campaigners the day before voting in the EEC P. Floyd/Daily Express/| Getty Images Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Yes campaign in favour of staying in the EEC had a lead in the opinion polls throughout the campaign. The leaders of the three main parties all wanted a Yes vote - including Maragret Thatcher, who had taken over as Tory leader just a few months earlier. But Scotland was the part of the UK where seemed to be most chance of a No vote. The SNP argued for leaving, though its slogan opposed membership "on anyone else's terms" and at least some leading figures would have supported separate Scottish membership. There had been a big debate about whether there should be one national count in London of all the votes from across the UK. Some feared problems if it was clear that Scotland or Wales had reached a different conclusion from the rest of the country. Winnie Ewing and the SNP campaigned against Britain staying in the Common Market. | TSPL But in the end, the counts were held at county level in England and regional level in Scotland and all parts of the UK voted Yes, except for Shetland and the Western Isles. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad All the counts were held the next morning. The Lothian count took place at the Meadowbank sports centre and revealed a 59.5 per cent vote for staying in - 208,133 votes for Yes to 141,456 for No. That was slightly above the Scottish average Yes vote of 58.4 per cent, but well behind the Borders, the most enthusiastic Scottish region for Yes with 72.3 per cent. The Evening News carried the result of the referendum just hours after the counting of votes finished on 6 June 1975. | TSPL An academic study of the referendum published six months afterwards concluded that the Yes vote to stay in was "unequivocal but also unenthusiastic". "Support for membership was wide, but it did not run deep. The referendum was not a vote cast for new departures initiatives, it was a vote for the status quo." When parliament met after the referendum, an MP asked Harold Wilson for an assurance he would not repeat this 'constitutional experiment'. Wilson replied: 'I can certainly give the Right Honourable Member the assurance he seeks.' But 40 years later, another prime minister took a different view and got a very different result.
Daily Mail
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
ANDREW PIERCE: Celebrate Mrs T! Just what would grumpy Ted say?
The feud between Ted Heath and Margaret Thatcher, who ousted him as Tory leader, was one of the most long-running and rancorous in politics. So what a nice surprise to learn that the Sir Edward Heath Charitable Foundation, set up to promote his memory, is to honour the Iron Lady. Next month they will mark the centenary of her birth with a tribute at the Sarah Thorne Theatre in Broadstairs, the genteel seaside resort in Kent where Heath was born in 1925. There will be a discussion chaired by Iain Dale, who has written a new biography of her. The panel on July 20 includes John Redwood, who ran Mrs T's Downing Street policy unit, Virginia Bottomley, who served in her government, and veteran MP Roger Gale, who – as a former TV producer – advised the Iron Lady on how to conduct herself when parliament was televised in 1989. Steve Nallon, the voice of Maggie for Spitting Image, will also be on the panel. Michael MacManus, who worked for Heath and Thatcher, said: 'I don't think my fellow trustees ever expected to stage an event celebrating Mrs T, but I think it's a great departure.' Truss could make a dram out of a crisis Much mockery of 49-day PM Liz Truss after she promoted an Irish whiskey brand alongside bare-knuckle fighter Dougie Joyce, once jailed for punching a pensioner. Sir Roderic Lyne, our former ambassador to Russia, suggests Truss might follow the example of Alec Douglas-Home after his 14 months in No 10: 'Perhaps she could take up salmon fishing like Douglas-Home. It goes down very well with a wee dram.' What a bunch of heels Labour MPs were cock-a-hoop after Prime Minister's Questions last week amid suggestions they had discovered Kemi Badenoch's 'Achilles heel'. They claimed they could see the Tory leader had forgotten to remove a 'bargain sale' label from the sole of one her shoes. Quipped one Labourite: 'She must know she's on the way out and will soon lose that nice extra salary as Opposition leader. She's already cutting back on essentials!' But is this yet another Labour dirty trick? The Tory leader's office certainly thinks so. The footwear was from M&S, said a source. And there was no such 'bargain' tag upon them. Flushed with Labour's surprise success in last week's Scottish Parliament by-election, party insiders know who to thank for victory over the SNP. 'Virtually every Labour MP came up to campaign in Hamilton. The only one who didn't was Keir Starmer – so it definitely was Keir 'wot won it',' sniped one. Labour historians noted that the Govan shipyard, where Starmer outlined his defence strategy last week, was earmarked for closure by the Heath Tory government in 1971. It was saved after a 'work-in' organised by Communist union leaders Jimmy Airlie and Jimmy Reid. Lefty Labour MPs grumble that the massive expansion in defence spending, which will benefit the Govan yard, will be paid for by trimming benefits – the sort of cuts those Communist diehards would have fought to resist. Labour MP Markus Campbell-Savours may now sport a Trotskyite beard, but he wants reform of the House of Lords to be delayed. Young Markus should perhaps have declared a family interest. His father Dale, a former Labour MP, is now a life peer. The status quo suits the Campbell-Savours family just fine. Meanwhile, peers are feathering their nests. Last week they increased their hotel expenses allowance from £103 to £125 a night. That's well above the rate of inflation.
The Independent
02-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Rats! Why Angela Rayner must sort out Birmingham's striking binmen
The echoes from Labour's history are unfortunate. Harold Wilson was elected in 1974 because his was the party of the trade unions. The voters thought he would be able to calm the wave of strikes, which Ted Heath had been unable to control. Wilson settled the miners' dispute, but he and Jim Callaghan were unable to persuade the unions to reform themselves – Callaghan's phrase, 'free collective vandalism', rings through the decades – and the Labour government ended in the misery of the Winter of Discontent, with rubbish piling up on the streets of London. If the current strike by refuse collectors in Birmingham had been in the capital, it would have attracted more media attention. But the crisis is serious and is starting to damage the Labour government. Inevitably, reports of 'rats the size of cats', as when the bin bags piled high in Leicester Square in February 1979, prompt public alarm and demands that the government step in. We can tell that the Birmingham dispute is damaging to the Labour government because Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, has strayed beyond his brief again, posting a photo on social media comparing the rubbish on Labour-controlled Birmingham city council's side of a road with the rubbish-free side in Conservative Bromsgrove. But we didn't need Jenrick's intervention to see how the dispute has all the ingredients to make a toxic brew, especially for Angela Rayner, deputy prime minister, responsible for local government and trade unionism's representative at the cabinet table. She is proud of her background as a tough negotiator in the tradition of the party of organised labour. She came into politics as a union rep for care workers in Unison in local government. Yet when her department is asked about what is going on in Birmingham, it says only that it is 'monitoring the situation closely'. She needs to get on the phone to Sharon Graham, the general secretary of Unite, the union that is in dispute with Birmingham city council over its attempt to make the workforce more efficient. The council seems to be powerless in the face of industrial action by a small group of workers. This week it declared a 'major incident', but all that seems to mean is that it can ask neighbouring councils for help – and they cannot resolve the dispute that is the cause of the problem. The council's finances have been weakened by huge payouts for historical equal-pay claims. The only 'assistance' provided by central government has been to allow it to raise its council tax by more than the usual 5 per cent limit. So this week Birmingham residents face not only rat-infested streets but council tax bills 7.5 per cent higher than last year. So far, Rayner has sent out Jim McMahon, her junior minister, to say that the government 'cannot legally intervene' in the strike, because the council is being overseen by commissioners after it in effect declared bankruptcy. No wonder Conservative MPs are accusing the government of 'washing its hands' of the dispute. Rayner could be the fulcrum around which the fate of the Labour government turns. The bin strike in Birmingham is the most visible of her challenges, but local government around the country is under financial strain. If Labour does badly in the local elections next month – and I hear squeaks of panic behind closed Labour doors – she might be allocated some of the blame. One saving grace may be that there are no elections in Birmingham this year, but that may not save the city from dragging Labour down elsewhere. She is also responsible for an employment rights bill that could cost jobs, and an ambitious house-building target that seems to be a long way off track to being met. But the urgent priority is to get the refuse collectors back to work in Birmingham. If she cannot do that, the echoes of the Seventies will only grow louder. Julian Lewis, the Tory MP for New Forest East, which is some distance from Birmingham, warned McMahon – who wasn't born at the time of the Winter of Discontent – in the Commons on Monday: 'The Callaghan government and the Labour Party never shook off the pungent smell of the rubbish piling in the streets on their watch, and he really doesn't want to have the same thing happen to him.'
