Labour’s long-rumoured £6bn cut to disability benefits could finally be confirmed this week — and millions of people may feel the hit.
Reforms to Personal Independence Payments (PIP) are expected to be at the heart of the plan. However, Labour MPs are reportedly split over the proposed cuts, with some raising serious concerns about the impact on disabled people.
Last month, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall sparked backlash when she claimed that too many benefit claimants were “taking the mickey.” Her remarks have only fuelled fears that these cuts could push more vulnerable people into poverty.
“It Will Deepen Hardship”
Peter Matejic, chief analyst at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, warned that cuts on this scale would be unprecedented.
“If the government cuts benefits, this will only serve to deepen hardship,” he said.
Meanwhile, James Taylor from disability charity Scope said stripping back PIP would be “catastrophic.”
“PIP exists because life costs more if you are disabled. Those costs won’t disappear if the government squeezes eligibility,” Taylor explained.
“Many disabled people rely on PIP to get to work and pay for essential equipment like mobility aids.”
He added that cutting benefits would push disabled people into poverty rather than employment. “The Chancellor has a choice – cut benefits and increase poverty or invest in an equal future for disabled people. Making the wrong choice will have a devastating impact on disabled people and their families.”
Why Are So Many on Disability Benefits?
A government-commissioned report found that around half of those on health and disability benefits believed they would never be able to work.
Kendall said the system is partly to blame. “I don’t blame people for thinking that they can’t work. They’ve been stuck on waiting lists for treatment and haven’t had proper support from job centres,” she argued.
Government’s Eye-Watering Spending Exposed
While disabled people face cuts, government departments seem to have no problem splashing the cash. Spending on Government Procurement Cards (basically government credit cards) has quadrupled in four years — soaring from £155 million in 2020/21 to over £675 million last year.
So, where’s all this money going? Well, here’s a taste:
- £2,500 at a shoe shop in Barbados called Show Crush (October 2023)
- £673 for life-size cardboard cutouts of celebrities like Harry Styles and Queen Elizabeth II
- £920 at the Nassau Yacht Club in Barbados (January 2023)
- £965 at a bowling club in Toronto, Canada
- £2,900 at an art deco cinema in Wellington, New Zealand
And it gets better… In November 2022, the Foreign Office spent £684 on axe-throwing and clay pigeon shooting, followed by £2,479 at DJ Superstore for DJ equipment.
Priorities?
The government now says it’s clamping down on this spending. But here’s the real question: Will it be disabled people or government staff facing the most scrutiny? You decide.
Watch
Related: Speaker’s luxury lifestyle: First-class flights, five-star hotels, and taxpayer-funded chauffeurs
