Latest news with #benefitcuts
Times
21-05-2025
- Health
- Times
Benefits reform is like fight for women's equality, says Liz Kendall
The work and pensions secretary has told Labour rebels she will press ahead with contentious benefit cuts, likening her reforms to get the long-term sick back to work to the battle for women's equality. Liz Kendall said she was 'listening' to concerns raised by backbenchers, hinting she was open to concessions on the implementation of reforms. But she refused to back down on the principle of cost-cutting, saying Britain could not afford a system where one in ten working age adults is on at least one sickness benefits and spending is still rising. Kendall argued there was 'nothing Labour' about ducking what she described as an economic and social crisis, pointing out that sickness benefit spending has risen by £20 billion a year since the
Bloomberg
19-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
UK Benefit Cuts to Cause More Pain Than Gain, Think Tank Finds
Labour's benefit cuts will leave hundreds of thousands more Britons in poverty even after accounting for the employment boost the government claims the reform plans will deliver, according to analysis by the Resolution Foundation think tank. At the Spring Statement in March, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves announced £4.8 billion ($6.4 billion) of projected annual savings by 2030 from cutting the generosity of disability and health benefits. The government's own analysis found that the changes would push 250,000 people into poverty, including 50,000 children, and make 700,000 already struggling families even poorer.
The Independent
11-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Half of people fear timing of assisted dying law alongside benefits cuts, poll shows
The public is deeply concerned about a 'perfect storm' of assisted dying and benefit cuts, a new poll suggests. MPs will vote again later this week on plans to legalise assisted dying at the same time as ministers push ahead with plans to slash £5bn from the welfare bill. Half, 51 per cent, of those polled agreed they 'would be worried about the timing' of such a law at the same time as benefit cuts. While most, 71 per cent, of the more than 2,000 adults polled supported the principle for terminally ill adults in pain, nearly six in 10 believed that no law can safeguard against rogue medics abusing the change for their 'own gratification'. The survey was carried out by Whitestone Insight, a British Polling Council member, for the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC). Michael Robinson, executive director of SPUC said: 'This polling clearly shows the public has a much better understanding of the problems with changing the law than some proponents of the bill believe. Indeed, the public know that legalising assisted dying at the same time as slashing benefits, will create a perfect storm, putting pressure of vulnerable and disabled people to end their lives prematurely – and they don't like it.' Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP behind the Assisted Dying Bill, defended the Bill on Sunday, insisting it was "about human beings". Asked by Times Radio about an impact statement that suggested the proposal could save the NHS millions of pounds, she said: 'I think if we distil this issue down to pounds and pence, we're kind of missing the point. This is about human beings. And whilst it's very important that the impact assessment is done, and we look into the practical implications of changing the law, what really matters is the human beings at the centre of it.' She added: 'We need to be really clear what the problem is that we're trying to fix. And it's about giving dying people autonomy, dignity and control in their final few weeks and months.' Prime minsiter Sir Keir Starmer will miss this week's debate on assisted dying, in a move that some have seen as the PM cooling on the proposals. MPs are expected to vote on a number of amendments to the Bill on Friday.
Telegraph
09-05-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Elderly with arthritis to be hardest hit by Labour benefits cuts
Elderly people with arthritis and back pain stand to lose the most from Liz Kendall's benefit cuts. The Work and Pensions Secretary's controversial benefit reforms, which have fuelled outrage among Labour's backbench MPs, will hit older people with physical ailments the hardest, analysis shows. They stand stand to lose £4,500 on average per year if their cases are reassessed, while young people with mental health problems are more likely to be spared. It comes as Sir Keir Starmer and Ms Kendall face a growing rebellion over welfare changes announced in March. According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), which analysed data from Department for Work and Pensions, people suffering from conditions such as anxiety and depression are also less likely to be affected. The finding is likely to prove controversial, as Government ministers have repeatedly warned that some young working lives are destined for the 'scrapheap' amid a surge in sickness and disability benefit claims related to mental health. Ms Kendall meanwhile vowed to protect those who 'cannot work' because of ill health while creating a more 'pro-work system'. However, the analysis suggests that those bearing the brunt of tightening criteria to disability benefits – known as personal independence payments (PIP) – will be those struggling with physical pain. People dealing with back pain, arthritis and other regional musculoskeletal diseases will be among the biggest losers from the changes. Similarly, those struggling with chronic pain syndromes, heart conditions and respiratory diseases will lose out most if reassessed. People with ADHD and autism are meanwhile less likely to experience benefit cuts than cancer patients and people suffering from multiple sclerosis. The IFS also found that older disability benefit claimants face a greater risk of having their benefits cut if their case is reviewed compared to young people. More than half of people aged 40 and over on disability benefits are at risk of losing out because of announcements at the Spring Statement. In contrast, this applies to fewer than one in 10 people aged 16 to 19 and a quarter of 20 to 29-year-olds. The analysis raises serious questions about how successful the Government's welfare reforms will be in boosting employment rates. It comes as the number of young people not in work, education or training approaches 1m, sparking alarm from officials. Research by the Resolution Foundation last year found people in their 20s were more likely to claim they were too sick to work than those in their 30s and 40s. Separate research has also found 1m more people aged 16 to 34 have a work-limiting health condition compared to a decade ago, driven by ill mental health and conditions like autism and ADHD. Britain's sickness and disability benefit bill had been on course to hit £100bn a year by the end of the decade before the changes announced in March. It will now instead rise to £97.7bn from £81.2bn currently. Some 800,000 people stand to lose out on PIPs worth on average £4,500 a year from the welfare changes. This includes 370,000 people who currently claim PIP and a further 430,000 who would have been entitled to it.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
PIP claimants 'living in fear' over 'cruel' benefit cuts
Millions of disabled people will be "living in fear" as they wait to find out the extent of the impact of benefit cuts, a senior Labour MP has claimed. The Government has come under renewed fire over its controversial plans to cut Personal Independence Payments (PIP). New rules from next year will make it harder for people to claim the daily living part of PIP, and will see some existing claimants lose part of their payments. READ MORE: Keir Starmer makes statement on state pension triple lock Get our best money saving tips and hacks by signing up to our newsletter MPs are due to vote on the plans next month, amid an expected rebellion from some Labour members. Thousands of people could lose their PIP as a result, while it will become more difficult for new applicants to get help. This could include people who struggle to wash, dress or go to the toilet without help. Applicants will have to score four points in at least one daily living activity, and eight overall, otherwise they will not qualify for the daily living element, worth up to £110 a week. Government data shows around half of current PIP claimants did not score four points in one activity when assessed. Ministers have moved to calm fears this would mean they would automatically lose their entitlement if reassessed. Veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott has been among the fiercest critics of the proposals. And during a debate in Parliament on Thursday, she said: "The new points system that the Government are suggesting for people to qualify for the maximum level of PIP is particularly concerning. "For instance, it will mean that people who cannot wash below their waist could lose points and lose benefits, and be expected to find a job. "Focus groups are revolted when they hear that. "The country's anger at these cuts boiled over last week in spectacular fashion with the by-election in Runcorn, where Labour lost its 16th safest seat." Ms Abbott added: "We are just asking the Government to talk to the disabled and their supporters and not ram through legislation without giving us sufficient information. "This cruel and misconceived legislation will not end well politically. Meanwhile, millions of the disabled will live in fear."
