Disability Benefits

[Last updated 18/07/25]

I believe in a welfare state that is there for people when they need it.
 
There will always be some people who cannot work, and the proposed legislation that is currently progressing through Parliament (called the ‘Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill’) will protect them.
 
The Bill will ensure that 200,000 individuals with the most severe disabling conditions are never again called for Universal Credit (UC) reassessments. I would also like to reassure you that anyone currently in receipt of the UC health component will have their benefits protected in real terms, alongside benefitting from a higher standard allowance.
 
However, there are aspects of the current welfare system that need reform. Personal Independence Payments (PIP) were designed to support people with disabilities to live more independent lives. But the system has broken: more than 1,000 people are qualifying for the payments each day, even though 1,000 people a day are not being diagnosed with a disability. 
 
We think one of the reasons for this is that the rate of Universal Credit (UC) has not been increased for some time, and as the cost of living has gone up, more people may have bid for PIP to receive higher payments. 
 
That’s why this government is delivering the first above-inflation rise in the Universal Credit standard allowance since the 1970s, with a forecasted cash increase of £725 per year for a single household aged over 25 by 2030.
 
Of course, it’s crucial we get reforms to the welfare system right. That’s why the Government has listened and made changes to the Bill that means all of those currently receiving PIP will stay within the current system. Additionally, changes will only be made to PIP eligibility, activities and descriptors following the Government’s review of PIP assessments – known as the Timms Review – which we are committed to concluding by Autumn 2026. This review will be co-produced with disabled people and the organisations that represent them.
 
Whilst it is right that we support people who are unable to work, and this government will continue to do so, it is also right that those who can work, should work.
 
Data shows that one in eight young people are coming out of school and getting stuck on benefits. The longer this is the case, the harder it is for that young person to get a job because of the lack of work experience or training. 
 
That’s why the Chancellor also announced in the Spring Statement a record £1 billion investment in tailored employment support, to ensure those who want to work are properly supported to do so. This is one of the largest ever investments in support to increase opportunities to work. 
 
I am glad that the broken Work Capability Assessment, which many constituents have shared their concerns about, will be scrapped. This will simplify the process for accessing health-related benefits into one single assessment and end the binary can-or-cannot work divide, helping those who can work to access support to do so.
 
Taken together, this is a fair package that will support people back into work, protect those who cannot work, and put the social security system on a sustainable footing.