After years of austerity and benefit cuts under successive Tory governments, Labour’s victory in the 2024 general election was a huge sigh of relief for disabled people across the country.
Having laid down the foundations of the modern welfare state in the aftermath of World War Two and introducing landmark legislation like the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act in 1970, Labour has always been the political party to champion and protect the rights of disabled people in Britain.
But that no longer seems to be the case, as Labour is set to make the biggest cuts to disability benefits in recent years.
To curb welfare spending and encourage disabled people to return to work, the government reportedly wants to tighten the criteria for personal independence payment (PIP) – a benefit that aims to help disabled people aged sixteen or over with their living costs – so that qualifying is more difficult.
The Government’s decision to target disabled people in this way goes against the very foundations of the Labour party – which is to improve the lives of the working class – and will have disastrous effects on the lives of disabled people right across the country. I’m one of them.
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I currently get PIP for autism and mobility issues, and without this vital lifeline, I can’t see how I’d survive.
It funds my mobility car, which allows me to get out and about. If I didn’t have my mobility car, I’d never leave my flat to do the food shopping, attend medical appointments, go to work meetings, or see my family and friends.
The alternatives would be public transport or walking. Neither is suitable for me as I have zero traffic awareness, get overwhelmed around people, and can’t walk or stand for long.
Because my disabilities limit the type of job I can take, I wouldn’t be in a position to buy a car out of my own pocket. If my mobility car and disability benefits were suddenly taken off me, I’d be completely isolated from the world around me. And it would exacerbate my depression and suicidal thoughts, making living – let alone working – untenable.
It’s also heart-aching thinking how these cuts could affect my loved ones.
My mum is disabled, and my dad had to give up work to care for her over a decade ago. Disability benefits are their sole source of income, and with the cost of living continuing to rise, they struggle to make ends meet as is.
I also have a close friend who is currently being reassessed for PIP despite having life-limiting chronic health conditions.
If the Government is looking to reform disability benefits, it should focus on making the system fairer instead of taking it away from people. For example, people with lifelong disabilities should be given PIP indefinitely and not be faced with constant reassessments and tribunals that worsen their health.
I currently have PIP until 2029, yet autism is a lifelong disability. The thought of yet again being grilled on my disabilities sends shivers down my spine.
Should the Government want to get people with less serious disabilities back to work, it needs to support businesses in creating more inclusive workplaces and job opportunities.
Remote working is a good option for some disabled people, but the reality is that most businesses are going back to traditional ways of working and sending staff back to the office. This makes working unviable for lots of disabled people.
When the Tories were in power, my family and I lived in constant fear of losing our disability benefits – along with the independence they enabled. And while I get that the Tories left a dire economic situation for the new Labour government to contend with, I never thought Labour would go after disabled people to balance the books.
As a loyal Labour Party member and voter, I feel betrayed. And I doubt I’d ever vote red again.
I suspect many other Labour voters – my family and friends included – will also abandon the party in future elections.
It begs the question, which party can be trusted to look after Britain’s most vulnerable citizens?
Why Labour is reforming the welfare system
Almost four million working-age adults in England and Wales currently claim incapacity or disability benefits, up from 2.8 million before the pandemic. Downing Street has warned that without action, benefits will “swallow more taxpayers’ money and leave more people trapped in a life of unemployment and inactivity”. Reform comes as Chancellor Rachel Reeves looks to make up to £6bn of savings to the growing welfare bill ahead of her Spring Statement on 26 March. Asked about Labour’s welfare plans on Saturday, Sir Keir Starmer said: “I have made the principles clear enough. We need to support those who need support, and to protect them. But at the same time we need to make sure that we support and protect those who need to and are able to get into work, which the current arrangements I don’t think adequately do.” According to the Department of Work and Pensions’ (DWP) own figures, there were 15,300 monthly awards of the disability benefit PIP (Personal Independence Payment) on average in 2020/21. This has since grown to 35,100 awards on average a month – an increase of 129 per cent. This equates to around 1,154 awards of PIP a day. DWP figures also outline there were 250,000 registrations for new PIP claims between February and April 2023, 210,000 between May and July, and 230,000 between August and October. Figures for November to January 2024 will be published later this month. Not all of these were successfully awarded but this equates to around 920,000 applications each year. This means overall PIP spending is forecast to hit £21.8bn in 2024/25, up from £13.7bn in 2020/21.For confidential advice and support, the Samaritans are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org.
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