On Wednesday 18 June the government published the Universal Credit (UC) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) bill.
Proposals in the bill
It includes the planned cuts to PIP – where a person will need to score 4 points in at least one daily living area in order to qualify for the daily living component.
More than 1.3 million current PIP daily living claimants did not meet this criteria at their last assessment.
The government has calculated that only 370,000 of these should end up losing their daily living after reassessment before 2029/2030 on account of what they call “behaviour changes”. These “behaviour changes” include more appeals and Mandatory Reconsiderations.
The Office for Budget Responsibility calls this a “highly uncertain judgement”.
We also don’t have information about how the impact of these “behaviour changes” have been calculated.
The cuts to PIP are not part of the consultation on the Pathways to Work green paper taking place.
The bill also includes changes to UC including:
- Increasing the standard allowance of Universal Credit that everyone gets
- Freezing for four years the additional component of UC that is given to claimants who have been found to have Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) / are in the Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) support group. This means the amount will not go up in line with inflation.
- Halving the LCWRA component for new claimants.
The green paper consultation does include questions on UC although it does not ask specific questions about these proposals.
That consultation will close on 30 June.
Concessions
The bill contains what the government is calling a “concession” to opponants who are worried about the impacts of the bill on poverty.
The bill extends the time that PIP claimants will carry on getting the benefit after an assessment has found them no longer eligible.
Through the bill, this will increase from 4 – 13 weeks.
The government is describing this as “protections for millions of vulnerable people on benefits“.
Money Resolution
The bill requires a money resolution. (See para. 150 of the Explanatory Notes)
This applies to bills dealing with issues relating to State finances and expenditure in order to get them through Parliament with less scrutiny than is usual for new legislation.
It means the bill will go through Parliament much more quickly and that the House of Lords will not get to have a say.
The bill was introduced to Parliament by Liz Kendall on 18 June.
The next stage – the “second reading” – is where MPs will debate the principles behind the bill before voting on it.
That has been scheduled for 1 July.
If it passes that vote, the next stage will be a “Committee of the Whole House”.
This has been scheduled to take place on Wednesday 9th July.
This will take place in the Commons and only MPs will be able to take part (technically on behalf of the whole of Parliament).
This will be where amendments to the bill can be debated.
Report stage (where amendments are voted on) and a final debate and vote on the bill have also been scheduled to be squeezed in on 9th July.
If the bill passes third reading it then becomes law.
Reasoned Amendment (RA)
13 out of 15 select committee chairs were behind an amendment trying to block the bill.
In the end there were 162 signatories including 129 Labour MPs.
The amendment called for the bill to be stopped and not debated at second reading, saying that among other issues with it, Disabled people have not been properly consulted.
Instead the amendment called for a pause so that further consultation can take place and support put in place before any further cuts are made.
Reasoned amendments are often symbolic but they have more chance of being selected for debate by the Speaker if other parties sign.
Major concession
After days of negotiations with the leaders of the Reasoned Amendment, Starmer announced that major concessions had been agreed which will be proposed as an amendment to the bill by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Liz Kendall.
The details are still unclear but it appears that under this amendment existing claimants will be exempt from the proposed changes, investment in employment support for Disabled people will be brought forward, and the PIP review proposed in the green paper will be undertaken in coproduction with Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations (DDPO).
DDPO’s and Deaf and Disabled people led campaign groups have been clear that we still oppose the bill and that we are united in our opposition.
What can we do?
We do not have long to act.
The most impactful things we can do are:
Write to your MP – there are template letters available but personalised letters with information about how you will be personally impacted are the strongest. Even if they reply with the standard party line, it does make a difference what volume of correspondence they get on different issues.
Publicise the rally outside Parliament on 30 June – encourage all those who can to get there and for those at home to support online. Hashtag #WelfareNotWarfare. This is the last day of the green paper consultation.
Organise and take part in local actions against the bill on 1 July – this is the day that second reading of the bill has been scheduled to take place on. We want to raise awareness about the bill, about how devastating the cuts will be, how the proposals in it have not been consulted on and how MPs are being expected to vote on it with lots of information missing. Local media can be a good way to get attention for protests and issues that MMS ignores.
What do we want?
We want the bill withdrawn and new social security policy to be co-produced with Deaf and Disabled people as Labour promised in their election manifesto.
the most vunerable in society always seem to face cuts not the tax dodging billionaires,those with long term health conditions always live in a constant state of fear-thank goodness dpac gives us the ability to fight back
I cannot believe the prime minister has reverted to clawing money from disabled and people already on stretched benefits. I am a nurse who is about to retire but I care about people especially the underprivileged! I thought he was the perfect choice and was someone we could be proud of at last running our government. I voted for you Mr Starmer but I won’t make the same mistake twice. Infection I won’t vote Labour. You have broken more promises in the last 12 months than Conservative did in years. Shame on you. Oh also I am one of the waspies.
I’m unclear about the so called “concessions” announced recently on the PIP/UC cuts. For those of us already on PIP & getting the health benefit of UC, what happens if you have a review, further down the line? I’m currently waiting for a review form sent in to DWP in May, my current award runs out in February 2026. I get my state pension in 3 years & was hoping PIP would carry me over that time.
Anyway, thank goodness for DPAC, other DPO’s & our many allies, we need to try to keep fighting if we can & support each other.
Always remember to stand your ground and fight. Whoever is on pip shouldn’t be affected as this is being introduced now. Appeal, appeal and take your case straight to the European courts of Human Rights, is why they want us to leave it. What they are doing and proposing is unlawful and there moving on to the motobility scheme. It’s discriminatory & predjuiced although some people have been lying and taking advantage without being referred on and getting diagnosises. But when you knees and feet keep giving way and that start breaking bones in yiur feet, surely you would think you’d have nothing to worry about or whether therapy works or not because you have such trauma and issues, your not classed as stable but according to dwp you would be. Appeal, get a humans Rights solicitor know the Human Rights and Equality Act and Appeal. Maybe they should stop the million pounds and over 20 grand bonuses that they each recieve every year and up the rich people’s taxes etc… not take away our Rights
My initial thoughts on this (I admit my cognitive decline & memory issues, make taking so much information in, difficult) what is the point of getting 4-13 weeks “grace” if you no longer qualify for PIP, if you need that money, this won’t help.
There’s also the usual rhetoric of helping & supporting people into work, but PIP isn’t an out of work benefit. If you’re now on UC, in the equivalent of the Support Group, DWP has accepted you’re unable to work.
Then we’re back to the fact that are nowhere near enough jobs for able bodied people, companies are cutting back on staff or not hiring as much. So where is this “work” disabled people could do?
A wealth family own a high end, large shop with many departments in Norwich, where I live. A friend told me recently, they’re getting rid of staff & cutting the hours of others.
Thankyou for all you do comrade’s on behalf of the disabled community
They gave embraced me from the beginning and deserve better .solidarity ✊ Netty Bolton