The Government announced on Tuesday its proposals for the future of disability benefits.

Ministers say they want to get more Disabled people into work. If so, this is totally undermined by linking the proposals to severe benefit cuts – totalling over £5 billion by 2029-30. You do not improve employment prospects by increasing poverty.

We are strongly in favour of getting more Disabled people into work, where this is a realistic option for an individual: but this needs to be achieved through improved, locally-based employment support, provided wherever possible by Disabled People’s Organisations – and crucially through employers stepping up and providing accessible employment.

Instead, the Government’s proposals rely heavily on cutting essential benefits, which will undermine the financial stability and independence of Disabled people.

Disabled People’s Organisations would like to talk to Government about creating employment opportunities – but the threat of cuts must be removed, so that we can have a constructive discussion in good faith. Making people poorer will do nothing but harm, increasing hardship and making people more ill, physically and mentally.

Greater compulsory “engagement” of Disabled people with work coaches – presumably backed up by sanctions – will step up the “fear factor” and send more people down the already well-worn path to the food bank.

Among the cuts contained in the announcement:

• Higher rate of Universal Credit to be harder to get and greatly reduced in amount
• Higher rate of Universal Credit not payable to people under age 22
• Daily Living element of Personal Independence Payment to be harder to get
• More compulsory interviews with work coaches, backed up with the threat of sanctions.
• Where Employment and Support Allowance is based on National Insurance contributions, it will be time-limited, even for the most Disabled claimants.

The Campaign for Disability Justice says the Government should reconsider these proposals and that the threat of cuts should be taken off the table. Only then can we engage in a constructive discussion about work opportunities without the threat of poverty and hardship.

Making people poorer will do nothing but harm.

The Government has announced plans to make changes to disability benefits, aiming to save over £5 billion by 2029-30 and increase employment among Disabled people.

While supporting more Disabled people into work is welcome, the proposed approach raises serious concerns and will do more harm than good. 

We strongly support creating meaningful work opportunities for Disabled people, but this must be done through improved, locally-based employment support, delivered in partnership with Disabled People’s Organisations, and by encouraging employers to provide accessible workplaces.

Instead, the Government’s plans rely heavily on cutting essential benefits, threatening the financial stability and independence of Disabled people. 

Say no to cuts

In January 2025, we launched a campaign encouraging supporters to contact their local MPs ahead of the government’s Green Paper announcement. The goal was clear: urge MPs to stand against proposed cuts to disability benefits. These cuts, if implemented, would push millions of Disabled people into deeper poverty.

We are pleased to report that 162 MPs from constituencies across the UK were contacted by campaigners. Some MPs have already responded, indicating that parliamentarians are paying attention to the concerns being raised.

As we await the official release of the Green Paper, expected very soon, we’re ready for the next stage. The Green Paper will trigger a 12-week consultation period on the proposed changes to disability benefits, and we’ll be here to set out for our supporters what it means. Once the announcement is made, we’ll share how you can continue to support the campaign and make your voice heard.

Thank you for your continued support—together, we’re making a real difference.

Open letter to Ofcom:

Programme title: Britain’s benefits scandal: Dispatches

Date of broadcast: 02/12/24

Time of broadcast: 20.00

Channel/ station: Channel 4

Subject: Benefits and employment (complaint of bias)

Description: Documentary

I write to complain of serious bias in the coverage of the issues with which this programme was concerned, in contravention of Channel 4’s own impartiality code: Due impartiality | Channel 4 

This started with the title of the programme (Britain’s benefits scandal) which is tendentious, sensationalist and politically slanted. 

The presenter (former Spectator editor Fraser Nelson) has a known political position on the issues involved. This should have been balanced by a commentator with alternative, or at least neutral, views. A disabled commentator would have been particularly appropriate. 

There was no attempt to address a number of matters that are surely essential to a balanced examination of the issues, notably: 

• The adequacy of benefit levels, whether basic benefits or those relating to the extra costs of disability; and whether provided to people in or out of work.  
• Many employers’ reluctance to employ Disabled people. 
• The poor quality of many benefit assessments, with claimants wrongly denied their entitlements.  

There is much evidence on these matters, not least that assembled in various reports of the House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee. 

There was no explanation of the range of possible reasons for increased numbers of disability and health-related benefit claims, including: 

•  The health impacts of poverty. 
•  The pressures of the cost-of-living crisis. 
• The rising pension age. 
• Statistical differences in recording Universal Credit claims as compared with its predecessor benefits. 

There was unclear and inaccurate information on the benefits system, notably: 

• Contrary to the implication in the programme, there is no need to end a Universal Credit claim if moving into work, as UC is an in-work benefit also, so simply continues as a top-up to low wages. 
• As noted above, there was no reference to the well-documented problem of inaccurate benefit assessments wrongly denying entitlements, although prominence was given to suggestions that benefits were too easily awarded.  

There was a tendentious selection of case examples – for example, nobody was shown moving into work and struggling on low pay topped up with inadequate in-work benefits, in spite of this being a frequently occurring scenario. 

The extent of biased presentation and reporting in this programme was quite remarkable and in our view unacceptable. It should be corrected by means of a follow-up programme presenting a balanced range of perspectives and evidence.  

Geoff Fimister 

Head of Policy at Inclusion Barnet, on behalf of the Campaign for Disability Justice & Co-Chair of the Disability Benefits Consortium.