One million people face benefit cuts as the Government prepares to overhaul the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) system.
The reforms, due to be announced this month, will tighten eligibility criteria for Personal Independence Payments (PIPs), which is the primary benefit for those with a disability.
The changes will apply to new claims and reassessments of existing claimants. Several cabinet ministers have reportedly raised concerns about the planned cuts.
Under the new rules, many people with mental health conditions will no longer qualify for payments. Those who struggle with washing, dressing themselves and eating may also lose their benefits.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has insisted that the Government “must get a grip” on what she called a “broken” benefits system.
The changes are part of a wider package of welfare reforms that includes abolishing the “work capability assessment” for incapacity benefits.
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Labour is cutting sickness benefits for one million Brits
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Ministers are also planning to cut the top rate of incapacity benefit, which currently pays those deemed unfit for any work around £800 a month.
Under present rules, PIP applicants receive points based on difficulties with everyday tasks and mobility. These points can be added up to qualify for payments between £1,500 and £9,600 a year.
The new system will require applicants to score at least four points on at least one activity to qualify. Those who meet this threshold would need another four points to qualify for the lower rate of payment.
An additional eight points would be needed for the higher rate. The changes are expected to slow the rise in claims for mental health problems, which has contributed to a surge in PIP recipients.
About 3.2 million people currently claim PIPs, up more than a million since 2019. The new threshold would include those who need help cooking a meal, but exclude those who can use a microwave.
Needing help to wash your upper body would meet the threshold, while needing help with hair washing or washing below the waist would not.
Those requiring assistance using the toilet would qualify, but those simply needing reminders to go would not. People needing help to engage with others in person would meet the criteria, while those only needing prompting would not.
Deaf campaigners may be concerned that needing a hearing aid falls below the new threshold, potentially causing some to lose payments.
The Government argues these changes are essential to control the rising cost of PIPs. Without reform, PIP spending is forecast to increase by £15billion in real terms by the end of the decade.
Mental health problems now account for 37 per cent of new PIP awards, up from 28 per cent before the pandemic. This has contributed to a doubling of under-40s starting on disability benefits.
The total number of PIP recipients is projected to reach five million by 2030. Some of the savings will be redirected to raise the basic rate of universal credit.
Ministers also plan to invest £1billion in employment support programmes. They argue there is a “moral” case to improve help and incentives to find work.
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Keir Starmer has defended the benefit cuts
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James Taylor from disability charity Scope said: “Tightening the assessment would be a disastrous move and result in hundreds of thousands more disabled people being pushed into poverty.”
“If the Government takes this forward it would plunge hundreds of thousands into poverty and have a devastating effect on disabled people’s health, ability to live independently or work.”
Tom Pollard of the New Economics Foundation said: “There has been concern within government that the rise in the PIP caseload is being driven in part by more people claiming for less severe mental health problems and neurodevelopmental conditions like autism and ADHD.”
“It therefore seems likely that any changes to the assessment criteria to reduce the number of new claims would target this group,” he added.
The department defended the reforms, stating that the “welfare system is broken”. A spokesperson said: “We have a duty to get the welfare bill on a more sustainable path and we will achieve that through meaningful, principled reforms rather than arbitrary cuts to spending.”
