Upcoming changes to benefits
Comments
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Is the announcement/ Green Paper definitely tomorrow?
@Catherine21 "Freezing" PIP means payments won't rise with inflation in April 2026 and maybe for the lifetime of the benefit so, in real terms, claimants receive less and less.
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I heard it's tomorrow
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So if they say will roll out on 3 years does that mean completed or just starting hope makes sense
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Oh zipz this is to much let's hope and prey it's not as bad as we think I hope your OK in my clear mind I think they won't get half of this throwing it all out there to see what they can get are you going to watch I will try
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And to say people who look for work get more people who can't well suffer never in my 53 years heard of this my god mind in terror
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I appreciate your points @Adrian_Scope
If you look at a few of my posts of the previous thread I’ve been trying to defend the strategy seem to be taking
But the leaks from last nights labour meeting revealed a huge amount and a lot of masks have appeared to have slipped
I know that scope since labour came in power has had direct (in person, virtual, written) correspondence with labour ministers (I know scope met with Kendall in the summer at least once and that Stephen timms has spoken with you a few times) - obviously I’ve don’t know the details talked about but if itv leaks are confirmed then the dwp have ignored or disregarded a lots of scopes and other charities concerns (I questioned back in the summer if Kendall and co was telling charities what they wanted to hear to keep charities from considering further action such as increased interviews with press (I don’t know if legal challenges and reporting gov to higher bodies is even an option on the table for disability charities - but the labour higher ups will certainly not want big charities even discussing it as a possibility)
Writing joint letters with other disability charities is not enough as said letter can be easily ignored or binned - it’s just not enough
And I know that scope has a sign up campaign going - however those of us on welfare know to be ultra careful giving out personal details (we don’t want any way to be tracked down) and the scope form asks for our full name, address and postcode without it being disclosed what our personal info will be used for and more importantly who will see it (I think the fear is scope could send Kendal and co a list of everyone who signed like you doin a petition) - for that reason I don’t feel comfortable signing though if form sections were changed/renamed to initials and constituency I think that would reassure a lot of us who haven’t signed
I think a lot of us are reeling at starmers suggestion that the majority in their gut should feel it’s wrong for a disabled to get additional money compared to fully abled counterparts (and implying only those in work or looking for work deserve additional money for quality of life, no exceptions given to personal circumstance). Further leaks on social media report that Stephen timms (whom we were told was a disability ally) stood by starmers side, nodding in agreement a lot
Obviously we are still waiting for officially conformation via the upcoming disability green paper (and then early votes) but signs from recent leaks do imply disabled people have been lied to and betrayed by labour and this may be the biggest gov ‘damaging attack’ taken on disabled community in years (even bigger than ids and the introduction of UC)
I was always worried about panic tactical voting giving labour a dangerous size majority (and I remember getting hammered by a few members for having that concern - haven’t seen those members in a while - as much as a ITYS moment appeals these past few weeks have probably been especially hard for them to stomach and a tough lesson to learn)
parliament is made up 650 mps (minus 7 Sinn Fein mps and 4? non voting speaker roles so 639 seated mps). A majority can be achieved by 320 mps voting one way (if no one abstains) - once contents of the green paper gets compiled as a bill we will need all non labour mps to vote against it (237 total mps) we would need another 83 labour backbenchers to vote against their own party (and not chicken out be abstaining)
Realistically their is a zero percent chance of that happening (more realistic win is the whole Tory party voting against the bill and a handful of labour mps willing to put their whip (and career) on the line so the govs majority stays as low as possible (a majority of less than 60 would probably be the best we can hope for)
Last night signalled that welfare reforms may be the flagship policy to starmers labour, as the Rwanda bill was to sunak’s tories (which the delays and blocks in that bill played a huge part in tories losing massive support and adding multiple nails to that govs coffin) - in comparison labour are taking a huge risk trying to appeal to voters considering voting reform next GE and may lose their own traditional voters (and those on the centre and left who loaned a vote last GE)
It is now clear the endless barrage of distressing media articles (to a disabled pov) and labours/starmers strategy revealed last night to sell the following pitch to the general public (building on months of articles from the times, telegraph, etc leaked by gov insiders) - that disabled claimants getting more money due to health as an ‘unfair advantage’ and something we are undeserving of as we don’t work (and pay taxes)
If you don’t work, you don’t deserve quality of life regardless of personal circumstance (and if reports of autumn budget knock on costs for businesses and employers already has a number of them stating they can not afford to hire disabled ppl turns out to be accurate - this labour gov has you covered, as in the worst political timing since partygate, we have a certain Kim leadbeater bill coming to the rescue with the 3rd reading for that due in late April - if disability activists and human rights lawyers aren’t pre prepping for that potential 2+2 situation then I really despair)
My gut tells me that any green paper bill will pass through 1st to 3rd Parliament reading in the matter of weeks and we have to have House of Lords can delay progress for as long as possible so (hopefully multiple) high court challenges can be prepped, submitted and accepted as possible to delay, tie up and prehaps cut the most damaging parts of any welfare reform bill
Problem is disabled people don’t talk to one another
Disability charities don’t seem to chat to disability organisations (such as dpac whom public figure activists such as Ellen Clifford) and vica versa
There is no safe disabled space online (such as a forum) where you can talk about and get advice on the process of taking dwp sec of state to high court or similar or even get interest & signatures for a class action suit (which scope mods will be able to clarify but I imagine they don’t want those types of discussions happening on the scope forum
And there’s multiple angry disabled people and activists on social media and forums beyond livid and calling for action but unwilling to put in any leg work themselves and/or think beyond old favourites like emailing your own mp and then sit back thinking your done your part
as I said we are still waiting for confirmed official details from the green paper but early signs are for many in the disability community the highest stakes will be put on table (and ‘absolute poverty’ isn’t actually the highest stake on that table2025 is the year that each individual decides if they are taking a stand (or - and I apologise for thinking the following - become a ‘martyr’
so for the tough love but politicans see disabled ppl as easy targets and we can’t afford to live up to that stereotype8 -
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14485533/Benefits-cuts-delayed-Labour-MPs-revolt-austerity-Keir-Starmer-indefensible-welfare.html
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Hi welcome to the community.
Your link isn't working.
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Oh sorry. I think if you hold and press the text it should open in Google. It just says this from daily mail.
Benefits cuts 'delayed to next week' as Labour MPs revolt over 'rerun of austerity' - despite Keir Starmer warning the system is 'indefensible'.3 -
The thing is you'd think getting it through their own party with such a majority would be the easy part too, because there surely will be all kinds of legal challenges if they try and go to the extent alleged. There's just no real way you can defend freezing PIP, cutting LCWRA as anything other than a brazen attack on the sick and disabled.
What's even more crazy is I would guess of the people directly affected by this, the majority vote Labour, whereas a lot of the cut benefits types will never vote Labour.
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I’m new to this community, bipolar and agoraphobia. I used to be a freelance journalist. If my writing can be of any use, let me know.
We have to fight this. I know we’re all exhausted, but we don't have to take this lying down.
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Where exactly in that article you reference, you see "
The LCWRA element of UC will be cut"0 -
It's bizarre the argument that people who are disabled and out of work are living it up on higher benefits compared to people looking for work, the uplift is to cover disabled people who can't work and who may never work.
Starmer, Kendall, Reeves and Timms have created a false narrative to justify their malicious agenda.
This should be the argument if it's brought to the courts.
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Of the 300 most deprived constituencies in the UK, the majority have Labour members. If they lose those seats, they don't get in again.
When the Green Paper is eventually published, it might be an idea to write to as many Labour MPs as possible - particularly those in the worst off areas.
They may not care about our future, but they do about their own.
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In the BBC article Starmer says the disablity benefits are discouraging people from working. What about employers not wanting to hire disabled people, refusing to make reasonable adjustments, no nhs treatment, non existent mental health services. This is a load of bs. Some people really can't work. The benefits are not discouraging us from working. The money is helping us to live, to be able to afford life. And millions of people on pip are working and the pip helps them to stay in work etc.
I'm sick of the gov, I'm sick of everything right now. There aren't even enough jobs out there right now, the stats show there are more people unemployed then there are jobs. Where all these jobs going to magically appear from to hire disabled people.
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https://x.com/joecguinan/status/1899112183985803742
This someone I'm in contact with posted, I don't know the context of the person quoting but I know the original comment is from someone who thought Starmer would stand for disabled people.
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Ok, so I've jumped on here after posting elsewhere. I am on PIP, transferring to UC because of severe mental health issue. Getting worse all the time. At the moment I have PIP until October 2027. So (I might have asked this before) can anyone guess how long all this will take to go thorugh Parliament, House of Commons, House of Lords? If they are aiming to target people with mental health for PIP, not sure I could survive that in assessments, , take from that what you will.) Just looking; If this all takes two years to go through, I might just give up on PIP anyway and think about my upcoming pension.
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I also would like to know
There's so much conflicting information.
We've heard for months that it'll take ages to get through these changes, however there are also implications they'll be rushed through cos they don't require votes or new legislation.
So which is it?
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Hi, I’m not sure about timelines but I saw my psychiatrist today and she said both she and my psychologist will both fight for me if the time comes. Do you have anybody in your corner who could write compelling letters? Hugs to you, I know how frightening this is.
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Yes, this is what I would like to know? Anyone know the answer to this?
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