Will Labour Reverse Course on PIP Cuts? Here’s the latest update: if you have a long-term health condition or disability, Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can give you extra money to help you manage day-to-day life. Around 1.3 million people are at risk of losing key financial support after Labour’s welfare cuts, new analysis has found, as the worst-hit areas in the UK are revealed.
Will Labour Reverse Course on PIP Cuts
The changes will focus chiefly on disability benefits, with the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) most affected. This weekly paid benefit is designed to help with the associated costs of having a disability and is claimed by 3.7 million people.
A Labour MP has warned his constituents are “horrified” at plans to slash disability benefits and urged the government to change course. Imran Hussain told the Commons that planned reforms to personal independence payment (PIP) benefits could devastate the lives of claimants. Next month MPs are expected to vote on proposals to tighten eligibility for PIP as part of £5 billion in cuts to sickness and disability benefits.
What are the welfare reforms?
The government has proposed a raft of benefits for those who are disabled or have a long-term health condition. One of those cuts is to personal independence payments (PIP), a benefit for people in and out of work that helps with the additional costs of living with a disability.
The government wants to limit who is eligible by changing the assessment criteria from 2026. It means at least 800,000 disabled people could lose out on payment, according to figures published by the Department for Work and Pensions.
3 reasons why Starmer could U-turn on controversial benefits cuts to PIP
An upcoming vote in the House of Commons on government proposals to cut the benefits bill has sparked a rift in the Labour Party.
The Labour leader is reportedly facing a growing backbench rebellion over the government’s welfare reforms announced in March, with some reports suggesting as many as 100 backbench Labour MPs have signed a letter saying they cannot support the proposals as they stand.
Neil Ducan Joudan, the MP for Poole, is one of those to have signed the letter branding the reforms wrong. Ahead of the vote (which is expected to take place some time in June), the anger has reportedly led the prime minister to consider softening the proposed reforms—specifically, changes to the eligibility rules surrounding the benefit payments to disabled people.
What are the rumored changes?
In recent weeks, reports have indicated ministers are considering softening the cut.
According to the Financial Times, one of the rumored changes includes making the proposed changes to eligibility for PIP less strict, which could mean 195,000 fewer disabled people are affected by the reforms. Claimants could also get a longer transitional period from when they are informed their benefits are cut to their benefits stopping so they have more time to plan for the loss in income, the Times reported.
The reason that could force a starmer U-turn
1. Some Labour MPs believe it’s morally wrong
Many Labour MPs have taken issue with the cuts, voicing their concerns that Labour has historically supported and championed a robust welfare system. The planned cuts of more than £7bn represent the biggest attack on the welfare state since George Osborne ushered in the years of austerity, and over three million of our poorest and most disadvantaged will be affected.
2. Labour MPs are fearful of losing their Red Wall seats
MPs don’t just have the party whip to answer to; they are also held to account by their constituents. In fact, out of the top 20 areas where claimants are set to miss out on PIP, 19 voted for Labour in the general election—with Clacton voting for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party.
3. Reform are out-positioning labour on welfare
At a national level, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has pledged to reverse the winter fuel cut and scrap the two-child benefit cap if the party comes to power in a naked attempt to target Labour’s perceived weakness in the area of welfare.
Conclusion
In this article we discussed, will Labour reverse course on PIP cuts? Here’s the latest update. The changes will focus chiefly on disability benefits, with the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) most affected.