Labour have indicated they will pursue controversial disability benefit cuts despite a legal ruling that consultation around the scheme was “unlawful”. The Work & Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall and the Chancellor Rachel Reeves have both signalled moves to cut billions from the benefits bill.
The proposed changes would reduce disability benefits, such a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) by hundreds of pounds for new applicants by 2029, compared to current payment levels. The reforms are based around changes to the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) system by reducing emphasis on mobility and movement difficulties when evaluating disability levels and rights to payments.
The changes are expected to affect more than 450,000 disabled people, with most facing potential losses of up to £416 monthly at current benefit rates, according to disability rights campaigners. The Government’s stance comes despite a High Court ruling in favour of activist Ellen Clifford, who challenged the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) consultation process.
READ MORE: DWP announces Cold Weather Payments for another 160 postcode areas in England – full list
READ MORE: Brits urged to contact DWP as another ‘injustice’ means thousands could be due payout
Labour have indicated they will pursue controversial disability benefit cuts -Credit:Getty
Justice Calver’s judgment repeatedly described the DWP consultation as “misleading”, “rushed” and “unfair”. The court found that the previous Conservative government had misled consultees by claiming the measures were solely aimed at helping disabled people into work.
Internal DWP documents revealed showed that cost savings were a key motivation behind the changes. The eight-week consultation period was also deemed too short by the court. A Government spokesperson responded to the verdict, stating: “The judge has found the previous Government failed to adequately explain their proposals.”
However, the spokesperson said the government would carry out a new consultation on changes to the Work Capability Assessments, which would, in theory, allow them to go ahead. They emphasised: “The Government intends to deliver the full level of savings in the public finances forecasts.”
Ellen Clifford, the disability rights campaigner who brought the legal action against the Government, said she was “overjoyed” the judge had ruled in her favour. But, she told The i Paper: “The Labour Government seems committed to the same policy – making up for failings in the economy by taking money away from disabled benefit claimants. The ruling means they now have to be honest and open about the fact that it’s about trying to save money. There is now time for more parliamentary scrutiny. There’s a chance for new Labour MPs to look at it properly.”
Svetlana Kotova, director of campaigns and justice at Inclusion London, urged the government to reconsider its approach. “We urge the Labour government to start working with disabled people and to use this ruling as an opportunity to rethink their approach to social security,” she said.
She warned: “It is not a matter of simply explaining the changes in a different way – they must stop pursuing Tory policies that do not work and will cause disabled people so much harm.”
And she insisted that any government would need to be transparent about plans to make savings by “unleashing misery on disabled people”.