Disabled people are becoming increasingly concerned over the proposed Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) reforms with some sharing they “want to end their life”.
The controversial changes to Personal Independence Payments (PIP) could see around a million people in England and Wales lose their disability benefits.
Disability campaigner Dr Shani Dhanda has revealed that some disabled people are considering assisted dying due to fears about their financial future.
“Do you know how many disabled people are contacting me at the moment saying: ‘I don’t know what to do – I want to end my life?'” she told The Division Bell.
“The reality for people will be, do I just fall into poverty or am I such a burden on society and on my family that I choose this option to end my life?” she explained. She described the situation as akin to “modern-day eugenics”.
Celebrities, including Succession star Brian Cox and Sir Stephen Fry are among those calling for an urgent rethink of the proposals.
Fry said cuts should not be targeted at “the most vulnerable and overlooked of all our population” and urged the Government: “It’s not too late to rethink this.”
Cox said the Government’s plan regarding cuts “makes no sense” and warned it “will have a lasting impact on the lives of so many people already finding it difficult to afford life’s essentials”.
Comedian Rosie Jones, who has cerebral palsy, said the cuts “will only deepen the hardship disabled people are already facing.”
Actor Stanley Tucci criticised the plan as “wrong,” saying parents in disabled families would have to “skip meals so that they can feed their children.”
Former Strictly judge Dame Arlene Phillips called cutting disability benefits “shameful.” The Resolution Foundation think tank has said the tightening of PIP eligibility would mean between 800,000 and 1.2 million people losing support.
This could amount to between £4,200 and £6,300 per year by the end of the decade. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has insisted that the current system is “morally and economically indefensible”.
The Government estimates its measures will save more than £5billion a year by the end of the decade. Changes to eligibility for PIP are expected to account for the largest proportion of these savings.
Furthermore, the Government also plans to cut the rate paid out for the Universal Credit health element for new claimants from next year.
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A DWP spokesperson defended the reforms, saying they will build a “social security system that’s fairer, more sustainable and fit for the future”.
They added it would “always be there for those with the greatest needs to live with the dignity and support they deserve”.
The Government claims it is introducing a new premium and ending reassessments for those who will never be able to work.
It also says it’s delivering a £1billion employment support package to “break down barriers for disabled people into work.”
