Personal independence payments help with extra living costs for individuals who either a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability, and have difficulty doing certain everyday tasks or getting around because of their condition.
There are two parts to PIP: daily living and mobility. Claimants can receive both parts of PIP if they struggle with everyday tasks, such as eating, bathing or socialising, and they need help with moving around or leaving the house. Personal Independence Payments are so important for those who rely upon them, helping to liberate those with disabilities.
Increasing the threshold will ‘save’ £5 billion. Around 3.6 million people rely upon PIP, and the current cuts proposed by Labour will lead to over 1 million disabled people in the UK losing their benefits.
The current Labour government has betrayed their party values; abandoning the welfare state and treating the most vulnerable in society with contempt. The NEU general secretary stated that “cruelty is becoming a hallmark of this government”.
NEU General Secretary Daniel Kebede
Chief executive of Mind mental health charity has stated cuts will only serve to deepen the UK’s mental health crisis, stating that Labour have made a political choice to make it harder for disabled people to access the support they need.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ cuts are deeply harming. Even George Osborne, the architect of austerity under the 2010 conservative government, ruled out the current welfare cuts labour are imposing. On Osborne's podcast, Political Currency, he and Ed Balls stated that Reeves welfare cuts is ‘not a Labour thing to do’. Rachel Reeves is out austerity-ing George Osborne.
In Labour’s 2024 election winning manifesto, they promised to champion the rights of Disabled people. These welfare cuts are the opposite of the protection disabled people across the UK were assured of. We must fight against these welfare cuts. This isn’t the Labour Party people voted for. The decisions by the chancellor and government do not represent the values of the Labour party. In 2024, Labour won an electoral landslide on the message of Change. The continuation of austerity policies and the demonisation of those on benefits is anything but.