Unsurprisingly, I have been contacted by a lot of worried constituents who have real concerns about the welfare reforms the Labour Government announced just ahead of the Spring Statement 2025, especially with regard to the impact on disabled people and those with health conditions.
Thank you to those of you who brought to my attention the latest work in this area by the Trussell Trust and to those who invited me to the event hosted by Scope on 2nd April. While I was unable to attend due to an existing parliamentary diary meeting, I did send a member of my team on my behalf to listen to their messages and to brief me. It is incredibly important the voices of disabled people are part of the conversation. I have always endeavoured to listen carefully, most especially as someone who grew up with a father affected by disablement and the impact it had on all our lives.
I do completely understand the strength of feeling on this matter and I am firmly of the belief that the Government has a duty to ensure the most vulnerable in our society are able to live with the dignity they deserve and without fear of losing their safety net. The UK’s welfare system is one which should encourage and support people into work, while providing an appropriate safety net for those who need it most, underpinned by a sustainable approach to finding and supporting it.
Under the previous Conservative Government, benefits were rightly uprated by inflation in April 2024, meaning that the 5.5 million households on Universal Credit saw an average increase of £470 in 2024/25. This ensured that benefits retained their value and the challenging economic backdrop the UK has faced, between the Covid-19 pandemic and war in Ukraine in recent years, saw additional support being provided as and when needed. More than 6.4 million individuals received a £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment in 2023 as well as an additional three payments totalling £900 for those on means-tested benefits, and the extension of the Household Support Fund which has provided 26 million awards for vulnerable families.
We should also note that Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is not an unemployment benefit with many recipients going to work as a direct result of the extra costs support offered by the previous Government helping disabled people into the workplace. Between Q1 2017 and Q1 2022, the number of disabled people in employment increased by 1.3 million. Meaning that the previous Government exceeded their goal to see one million more disabled people in employment between 2017 and 2027, five years ahead of schedule.
All of this work is a stark contrast to the approach being taken by the current Labour Government. The 'Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working' Green Paper published on 18th March 2025 outlines the Government's rushed decisions on welfare reform with savings being so poorly calculated, the Chancellor of the Exchequer had to revise the announcement only a short while later to compensate for the botched figures.
Honesty is an important guiding principle for any Government, and I know many people will feel let down by the lack of transparency shown by Labour Frontbenchers before the General Election on their plans to reform welfare which was not in their manifesto. I am disappointed that after the Government’s constant shifting of their position, the Prime Minister has arrogantly decided that some of their changes to benefits do not need to be consulted upon. Government Ministers should also be aware of the real and deep anxiety they cause families and disabled people when leaking discussions on welfare to the media before formally announcing detailed policy proposals in Parliament.
It is, however, undeniable that, with the bill for sickness benefits forecast to cost £100 billion by the end of the decade, the system is simply unsustainable in the long term for the currently shrinking pool of taxpayers. That the disability benefits system isn’t working in the way it was intended is becoming increasingly clear and it needs reform. As the UK’s health landscape continues to change, exploring such reforms can help us design a welfare system that is fit for the future and sustainable whilst also being fair to the taxpayer.
I acknowledge the rising cost of an expanding welfare system is a growing challenge for any Government and requires urgent and detailed attention. It is, however, vital we fight for this to be achieved in a fair and open way. For example, whilst I do feel that, following the Covid-19 pandemic, there have been exceptional and unjustified increases in the number of claims made, the Government can grapple with this through a return to face-to-face assessments that will also bring a more personal touch to the experience claimants have with the Department for Work & Pensions.
The message I got from the Scope event reinforced this – they want to see a depth of support for those who are disabled or with health conditions, with In Person assessments along with considered, incremental reforms under consultation. It was acknowledged that the broadening of disability awards to include health conditions that can be alleviated with support or medication has led to these unsustainable, ballooning costs. The Motability scheme was mentioned as one that has been expanded far beyond its original remit. The points based, tick box assessments over the phone were criticised as unsuitable, unfair and open to abuse.
I will support any measure that goes someway to reintroducing fairness into the welfare system and better targeting support to those genuinely with a limited capacity for work and supports our most vulnerable. I hope the Government is also listening.
