Benefit claimants oppose Reform UK’s welfare overhaul proposal
Angry benefit claimants have hit back at Reform UK proposals to overhaul the UK’s welfare system, reports BritPanorama.
In a defiant message to party leader Nigel Farage and Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick, PIP claimants expressed their discontent, stating, “We’re not scroungers – we need it.”
At a press conference on Monday, Mr Jenrick unveiled plans to abolish the personal independence payments (PIP) system and require long-term claimants to engage in community service as part of Reform’s initiative to save £50 billion from the welfare bill.
Sonia Maud, a beauty technician from Yorkshire who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2011, voiced her anger towards the proposals, emphasizing how PIP supports her ability to function. She noted, “I’d give anything to be able to do what I did before, but unfortunately, my body’s no longer able to do what I did.”
Maud further elaborated on her challenges, saying, “I couldn’t get a proper full-time job because of the MS; it affects my cognition and energy levels. Employers just wouldn’t employ me, basically.” She added, “I’d give up the PIP to be able to be the person I was five years ago.”
Steven Morris, 43, who is deafblind and works as a campaigns officer for disability charity Sense, criticized Reform UK’s approach, stating, “Welfare benefits are a lifeline for disabled people. They enable us to participate in society, see people that we love, and also to seek and stay in work.” Morris explained that PIP helps him cover taxi expenses to his workplace, which is crucial for his employment.
He added, “It’s helped me in the past pay for therapies that have helped keep me in work, which I would have had a much longer wait for on the NHS.”
Morris warned that the removal of such benefits could lead to an increase in unemployment among disabled individuals: “If you remove benefits, then potentially people may drop out of the workforce and may end up needing to claim more support.”
Under Reform’s proposal, the current PIP and the health element of universal credit would be replaced by a new “Health Security Allowance,” which would be means-tested under Universal Credit rules. This would reduce support for those who begin earning above certain thresholds.
While Reform claims that currently non-mental-health claimants will be protected from reassessment for three years, estimates suggest that once fully implemented, about 2.89 million PIP and UC health claimants could lose their entitlements, amounting to roughly half of the existing 4.5 million recipients.
For those who qualify, cash payments would transition to local council-run Disability Support Accounts (DSAs), designed to reimburse approved expenses rather than provide direct payments.
Last month, disability minister Sir Stephen Timms presented an interim report asserting that the PIP system was “not fit for purpose,” stating that many claimants found the application process “dehumanising” and “degrading.” The report highlighted that numerous individuals now rely on PIP for essential living costs rather than solely for disability-related support.
The review was prompted by concerns from over 100 backbench Labour MPs who threatened to oppose proposed changes to PIP under Sir Keir Starmer’s government last year.
Proposed modifications aimed to tighten the assessment criteria for benefit eligibility, potentially pushing an additional 150,000 individuals into poverty by 2030.
Supported by the MS Society, Maud emphasized that claimants have engaged with Westminster, asserting, “We’re not benefits scroungers; we actually do need it.”
She expressed frustration with the current system, stating, “We’ve got this horrible PIP system that we put through, for this bit of money that just helps us function in society. It’s ridiculous.” Removing this support entirely could push 884,000 individuals into poverty, according to research by PolicyEngine. The potential elimination of the health-related component of universal credit could nearly double this figure.
Charlotte Gill, Head of Campaigns at the MS Society, characterized the scrapping of PIP as “an unthinkably dangerous proposal,” arguing that it could exacerbate poverty among disabled individuals, adversely affecting their health and increasing pressure on public services like the NHS.
In response, Labour has termed the proposed £50 billion savings as “fantasy economics,” asserting that it amounts to stripping support from disabled people while imposing economic burdens on employers.
Reform UK has been approached for comment.
