Green Paper and Benefits Reform Updates
With all the speculation around in the press and on social media, it can be difficult to find clear information about Labour's benefits reforms. Misinformation can spread easily and this can create a lot of anxiety at a time when lots of people are already feeling worried by the proposals.
We wanted to create a discussion where we can all share updates that have been confirmed and verified.
Please try to keep this discussion to verifiable sources of information only. Another discussion will remain open for more general chat, speculation, sharing other links and supporting each other. You can find that discussion here:
Green Paper Related Discussions
What counts as verifiable information?
- Information from the government's website such as official press releases, documents, and written answers from politicians
- Information from the press containing official interviews or statements from MPs or the government
- Other press coverage that can be backed up with government sources
- Information from other sources that can be backed up by official facts and figures
Consultation links and information
- The consultation will be open until 11.59pm 30th June 2025 (just before midnight)
- You can see the Government's official consultation page including documents and upcoming consultation events here: Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper
- Scope's page details what we know about the changes and how it may affect different benefits: Changes to disability benefits: what you need to know
Comments
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May I add (again) Full Fact's website as an excellent resource. You can read their just published report here:
They have unsurprisingly seen an increase in misinformation, & how quickly it can spread (& the harm it can cause), the apparent influence Trump has had in perhaps why the Gov't isn't reacting as it should with ''meaningful reform.'' They say,
''In his first speech after winning the 2024 election, Sir Keir Starmer declared: “The
fight for trust is the battle that defines our age.” He was talking primarily about trust
in politics, but his argument resonates far more widely. And yet Labour’s 136-page
manifesto offers no plan on how to tackle misinformation, something there has been
no shortage of in the first year of this Parliament.Artificial intelligence, on the other hand, features prominently in the manifesto. Labour
outlines a strategy to position AI as a driver of innovation, promising to ensure the safe
development and use of AI by introducing binding regulation for the small number of
companies developing the most powerful models.
But as this report highlights, these regulatory ambitions have shifted. The focus is now
on an ‘AI Opportunities Action Plan’—a pro-growth agenda that prioritises economic
potential over safeguards.''The emboldened words are mine, as, without regulation, this is most concerning as the report highlights.
You can also see more on this site about politics, & how they 'fact check' politicians.
Their Gov't tracker launched in Nov 24 is also an interesting read as, ''Trust in British politics is at a record low—just 11% of Britons say they trust politicians to tell the truth, and 75% think elected parties break most or all of their promises. Politicians make promises and ask to be judged on their delivery. But then whether they’ve delivered those promises—and sometimes, what they actually promised—is often subject to debate and confusion, and sometimes false and misleading claims.
Access to verified, impartial information on this is vital. So to help, Full Fact’s new Government Tracker is monitoring the government’s delivery on its promises as it happens.''
Full Fact is regularly updated, so I hope we will see more verifiable info on this site as things with the proposed benefits unfold.
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From Benefits and Work site
NewsCitizens Advice condemn Green Paper cuts in hard hitting report
Published: 28 May 2025
Citizens Advice (CA) have condemned the government’s Pathways To Work Green Paper in a hard hitting report of their own, entitled ‘Pathways To Poverty’.
The opening paragraph gives a clear indication of the anger and frustration inside an organisation whose workload is likely to be massively increased by the effects of the planned reforms:
“By refusing to properly consult on its plan to cut billions from disability benefits, the government is choosing not to ask questions it doesn’t want the answers to. The cuts will have a devastating impact on disabled people (and their children), sending hundreds of thousands into poverty, and many more into deeper poverty. This will result from a series of arbitrary reforms that have been designed around savings targets rather than improving outcomes, inflicting hardship on people in ways that the government doesn’t yet fully understand.”
The 44 page report is carefully researched and referenced and draws together information from other reports, some of the many Freedom of Information Act requests that have been published and the experiences of its own advisers and clients.
One of the things it argues is that the impacts of the proposals are likely to be worse than the government suggests, because:
- The government used a dubious sleight of hand to reduce the number of people likely to be pushed into poverty. It counted people who would have been affected by the Tory WCA changes which never happened as having been lifted from poverty they were never actually put in. So, rather than 250,000 being pushed into relative poverty by Labour, CA thinks it could be as many as 400,000.
- The Green Paper doesn’t attempt to work out how many people will lose both PIP and the UC health element as a result of the changes, or how much they will lose.
- The government document doesn’t analyse how many people already in poverty will be more deeply entrenched in poverty as a result of the cuts, although an FoI request has suggested this will be 700,000 people.
Pathways To Poverty goes through the effects of restricting PIP eligibility, cutting the UC health element and making PIP daily living the gateway to UC health.
It argues that the cuts could push people further from work, rather than helping them into employment.
It concludes by saying:
The government must reconsider its current approach. We are calling on the government to cancel proposed cuts to disability benefits. More immediately, we’re asking the government to:
- Reverse the decision not to consult on cuts to disability benefits.
- Delay parliamentary votes on disability benefit cuts until all relevant impact assessments have been published. This should include the impact on other public services and the voluntary sector, and estimated employment outcomes from measures proposed in the green paper.
The report is a must read for anyone campaigning on this issue and should be compulsory reading for any MP voting on it – though sadly they are the least likely group to ever open its pages.
You can download a copy of Pathways to Poverty here.
https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/citizens-advice-condemn-green-paper-cuts-in-hard-hitting-report
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Thank you @ashmere - that's a very important read from Citizens Advice. It's not very pleasant reading, yet compulsive, as it clearly shows the impact of the proposed change to the PIP criteria & abolishment of the WCA, & how the Gov't didn't want to engage with these issues in their Green Paper.
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I emailed both Correspondence@dwp.gov.uk (who were organising these events) & Liz Kendall on 10 Apr saying, ''What I would like to query are these 'consultation events.'
Please consider that they will be difficult to navigate for many disabled people as I found that events appear closed, even the 'virtual' ones. How is a disabled person able to access an in-person venue if they don't know exactly where it is, & how accessible it might be?
If you would like to be seen as a party that's transparent, then I would appreciate your comments on this issue.
I hope you will be able to give some clarity about these events. I appreciate that there may be a limit to in-person events (tho this isn't mentioned), but know many of Scope's members would at least like to listen in to the virtual events.
I hope you 'listen,' as I have had the privilege to do, to many disabled people.''
I didn't get any replies.
I emailed Kemi Badenoch on the 4 May, & have just had a reply today (tho it was from her office). I'd sent a copy of Health Equity North's findings & also a link to this open letter from Healthcare Professionals, academics, carers, advocates & disabled people:
saying, ''Why no consultation upon the proposed additional 4 point rule for at least one activity of PIP's daily living component, nor the scrapping of the WCA? Is this working with disabled people, even listening to what they say, with this proposed harsher PIP eligibility seeming to be the only gateway to get help from the Gov't if disabled/becoming disabled?''
& mentioning seeing many Scope members with ''very genuine concerns & extreme worry. Many feel that there's not now a party that will support disabled people. My hope is that Conservatives will fight back & ensure that disabled people are properly consulted, together with charities such as Scope, Mind, etc.'
The reply I received said this at the end, ''Thank you for sharing your thoughts and ideas. I have passed them along to our policy team and the Leaders Office, who have read , acknowledged it and will take it into consideration. If you have any further policy suggestion I would recommend submitting it to our Policy Renewal Programme website. The link to which can be found here: . This ensures our Policy Team receive the submission and will take it into consideration.
We are listening.''
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Hi all,
I've moved a number of comments from this discussion to a "Related benefit reforms" discussion. Where possible we're trying to keep this discussion related only to updates on the current reforms and proposals, so that information can be found quickly and easily by those looking.
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2 June from Disabilty Rights UK:
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An interesting read from the New Economics Foundation, another good & reliable resource:
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Wales is looking at taking legal action for the same thing
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I have all my documents to prove I am disabled - letters from doctors, consultants, physio therapists etc. from when I had sugery to remove a brain tumour in the 1970;'s. Are my disability benefits safe?
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The user and all related content has been deleted.0
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I'm sorry to say that few, if any, claimants are safe from this government's extreme proposals but good documentation helps defend current and future claims and aid appeal processes.
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A report by the Trussell Trust about 'Hunger and Hardship.' Whilst not directly about the proposed benefit cuts, it shows how much it may potentially cost the Gov't if they don't help, & some families will be both suffering from this, & facing the proposed benefit changes. A lengthy, yet important read:
On 9th June this was said by the Trussell Trust:
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Posting this from Benefits & Work Site (News) - 12 June 2025.
NewsPrepare for Labour to try to force cuts through parliament
Published: 12 June 2025
The Politico website has claimed that a bill to cut disability benefits will be introduced to parliament next week, allowing the first vote to take place as early as 30 June.
Whilst we have no way of knowing if this is correct, Labour are definitely running out of time if they want the bill to have completed all its commons stages by the start of the Summer recess on 22 July.
So this seems a good point at which to look at how Labour may try to rush the bill through parliament with minimum scrutiny and how campaigners can be prepared for this.
First reading
The forthcoming bill has to go through several stages before it becomes law.
The initial step is the first reading, which simply involves the bill’s title being read out in the commons. It is usually published immediately afterwards, so we will get our first look at the details.
The bill will very probably only introduce the changes to universal credit (UC) payment rates for new claims, due to take effect from 6 April 2026, and the 4-point rule for personal independence payment (PIP) due to start in November 2026.
Second reading
Second reading
The second reading is where the bill is debated by the whole House of Commons and a vote takes place. The second reading doesn’t usually happen until at least two weekends have elapsed after the first reading.
So, if Labour publish the bill anywhere between Monday 16 and Friday 20 June, the second reading could take place as early as Monday 30 June.
The bill could be voted down at this stage if enough Labour MPs rebel and opposition parties unite against it.
If not, it will carry on to the committee stage.
Meanwhile, Labour whips will be targeting any rebels they think they can bully or bribe into supporting the government and also leaning on anyone they think might be at risk of going over to the rebels.
Bear in mind that some Labour MPs may be thinking of rebelling but are waiting until the third reading, in order to give the government a chance to make its case before finally deciding. So even if this first vote is won by the government, all is not lost.
Committee stage
The committee stage can be a lengthy affair.
A “public bill committee” of 17 MPs take evidence from the public and from experts, before debating and selecting amendments to be put before the whole House. The make up of the committee reflects that of the House, so there would be a Labour majority.
After a public bill committee there is a report stage for the whole house to look at what has been done in committee and vote on amendments.
Straight after the report stage, the bill goes to its third reading and a vote.
However, in this case, the suspicion is that Labour will opt for a “committee of the whole house”. This means that all MPs get to take part in the discussion of amendments and vote on them. But, no evidence from the public or experts is allowed and the whole process will be completed in a single day.
There is also no report stage, so the bill goes straight to its third reading after committee.
So a committee of the whole house is an effective way to rush a bill through and prevent MPs hearing from disability charities, think tanks, disabled people’s organisations and claimants themselves.
Third reading
Once the bill has completed its report stage, if there is one, a third reading takes place.
This is the final opportunity for MPs to either pass or reject the bill. No further amendments are allowed, so MPs must either accept the whole bill or reject it all.
Depending on how the proceedings have gone, some rebels may decide to back down and support the government or some loyalists may decide that they have not been convinced by the government and will now join the rebels.
House of Lords
Ordinarily, after the third reading, the bill would go to the House of Lords where amendments may be made and the bill is then passed back to the Commons, who can either accept or reject them. The bill may then go back and forth between the two houses until agreement is reached. This can take many months.
The House of Lords is made up of:
- 286 Conservative
- 212 Labour
- 181 crossbench
- 77 Liberal Democrat
Plus around 90 non-affiliated peers, bishops and smaller parties.
So, Labour does not have a majority in the Lords and, if the Conservatives decide to oppose the bill, the Lords could delay its passage for a considerable period, whilst pressuring the Commons to accept amendments.
However, there is a strong possibility that Labour will try to have this bill certified as a money bill.
If Labour succeed in doing so, then the House of Lords can hold up the bill for a maximum of a month and pass amendments. But the government can simply ignore the amendments and, at the end of the one month period, the bill is sent for Royal Assent and becomes law. So, in most cases, the Lords do not suggest amendments to a money bill and it passes without opposition.
Getting certified as a money bill
Ultimately, it isn’t up to Labour to decide if a bill can be certified as a money bill. This is a decision for the Speaker of the House, advised by officials.
And the Speaker won’t give a ruling until the bill has completed the committee and, if there is one, report stage. This is because amendments to the bill could change its nature and mean that it could no longer be certified as a money bill.
The introduction of the 4-point rule for PIP can probably be passed off as being solely about public finance, as its primary aim is to reduce the cost of disability benefits.
But there is certainly an argument that the changes to UC are primarily about social policy rather than money, because the aim is to reduce the alleged “perverse incentive” for people to claim benefits rather than work. It’s not a money-saving provision: it simply moves cash from disabled claimants to those who are capable of work, in order to effect “behavioural change”.
Whatever the Speaker decides, however, that is the end of the matter and there is no way of challenging the decision, even in court.
What Labour hopes
Labour is very much hoping that the bill will pass all its Commons stages before the Summer recess starts on 22 July.
But they will also be hoping that it will be able to bypass effective scrutiny from the House of Lords, otherwise the process may drag on into the Autumn, when the Office for Budget responsibility will publish its assessment of how many disabled claimants are likely to find work.
What can campaigners do?
A great deal depends on what happens over the next few weeks and campaigners should be ready to begin another round of emails, letters and protests at very short notice.
Once we know what is in the bill, people will want to contact their MP and tell them how they hope they will vote.
It will still also be worth contacting local councillors and asking them to speak urgently to their MP.
And anything that can be got into local media and social media encouraging people to contact their MPs has to be worth doing.
In addition, if you have any connection with disability charities, right now is the time to urge them to prepare a mail (or email) shot to MPs. Because there is a real chance the process will be over very quickly, without them having any opportunity to give evidence at committee stage.
Finally, it will definitely be worth sending messages of support and encouragement to MPs who vote against the bill at second reading, if it does go on to committee stage, because they will be getting a lot of flak from some quarters. And if your MP voted in favour of the bill, it will still be worth politely trying to persuade them to change their mind, as they may well be wavering.
Please note: we are very far from being experts on parliamentary procedure, so if you spot any errors in this article, please do contact us and we will correct them.
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Posted by DPAC on their X page recently.
The first reading of the welfare reform (cuts) bill will be on 18th June 2025 The second reading and the vote will be on 3rd July 20251 -
Hi everyone,
Please find attached a letter I have received from my local MP in regards to the proposed cuts to the Welfare System where they are abusing our human rights and breaking the law in regards to our disabilities as well. Even though I’m now living in Derby I’m going to see about writing to the MP for Oldham which is my home town and see what there response is as I know the local MP used to be in charge of Parks and Spaces in the town, fair to say he is a Labour MP so I know which side of the fence he will be on!
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"one of the most generous ever"
The DWP press release boasts that:
"The Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill will provide 13-weeks of additional financial security to existing claimants affected by changes to the PIP daily living component, including those who their lose eligibility to Carers Allowance and the carer’s element of Universal Credit.
"The 13-week additional protection will give people who will be affected by the changes time to adapt, access new, tailored employment support, and plan for their future once they are reassessed and their entitlement ends.
"This transitional cover is one of the most generous ever and more than three times the length of protection provided for the transition from DLA to PIP."
Press release from the DWP
The DWP have issued a press release headed "Welfare bill will protect the most vulnerable and help households with income boost". It quotes Liz Kendall as saying:
"This legislation represents a new social contract and marks the moment we take the road of compassion, opportunity and dignity.
"This will give people peace of mind, while also fixing our broken social security system so it supports those who can work to do so while protecting those who cannot - putting welfare spending on a more sustainable path to unlock growth as part of our Plan for Change."
PIP changes in the Bill
The 4-point rule and the 13 week run-on if you lose your PIP because of it are confirmed. Plus a clause which could be used to allow for pension age PIP claimants to be exempt from the 4-point rule
Clause 5 deals with PIP.
Subsection 1 confirms the requirement to:
score at least 8 points, including at least 4 points for a single daily living activity, to get an award of the standard rate;
score at least 12 points, including at least 4 points for a single daily living activity, to get an award of the enhanced rate.
In other words, the 4-point rule.
Paragraph 6 (c) confirms that PIP will be payable for 13 weeks after a decision that you are no longer entitled to PIP daily living component as a result of failing the 4-point rule.
Subsection 2 says that the secretary of state (SoS) will decide the date on which the new rules begin. The explanatory notes add that this is intended to be November 2026. The change will not apply to any given claimant until their award is reassessed. So for claimants with longer awards it may be some years distant - by which time there may be an entirely new PIP test.
Subsection 4 appears to be a "get-out clause" to allow the SoS to make special provisions for particular groups of people. They almost certainly have pension age PIP claimants in mind here. The paragraph actually says:
"to make different provision for different cases or purposes (including different provision for persons of different ages);"
So, for example, it might allow the SoS to decide that the 4-point rule will never apply to any person at or over pension age, who is already in receipt of PIP daily living in November 2026. This would give pension age claimants an exemption, but it's interesting that this is not being put into the Act itself.
The subsection also allows the secretary of state to provide for "a person to exercise discretion in dealing with any matter".
Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill published
The bill has now been published. You can download the 22 page .pdf document from the Get file link on this page.
Or you can download the file directly from this link
You can download the explanatory notes from this page.
There's also an impact assessment on the Universal Credit Rebalancing from the Department for Work and Pensions - May 2025
Money Bill
There has been discussion about whether Labour will seek to have this bill designated as a money bill, which would effectively remove House of Lords scrutiny. A decision about whether a bill is a money bill is made by the Speaker of the House, after the report stage. However, according to guidance on Money Bills from the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel:
1.35 During the debates in 1911 it was alleged to be a defect in the bill that the Speaker was not required to make his decision earlier because of the risk of the Commons proceedings being completed in ignorance of whether the bill was to be certified. There is now an informal indication, published as a note when the Bill is listed on the Commons Order Paper, as to whether a bill is likely to be certified as a money bill.
The notice that the bill will be presented today on the Order Paper makes no mention of a money bill, so this seems to be an indication - though not a certainty - that Labour are not pursuing this possibility.
Bill due this afternoon
The Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill is due to be published this afternoon. This is the bill that will enable the introduction of the PIP 4-point rule and cuts to universal credit for disabled claimants.
We’ll provides links, analysis and the opportunity for you to comment on this page.
According to the UK parliament website, it is a: "Bill to make provision to alter the rates of the standard allowance, limited capability for work element and limited capability for work and work-related activity element of universal credit and the rates of income-related employment and support allowance, and to restrict eligibility for the personal independence payment."
https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/universal-credit-and-personal-independence-payment-bill-updates
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Thank you Bellatango for such a good summary. I wont be clicking the link to read more so your info is very helpful.
I note that Under 22 age group are not mentioned. It had been said that changes to disqualify them from disability payment would be from April 2026. I dont know if the date for this change has been put back to November 2026 as mentioned for PIP and UC LCWRA.
I note that: (quote from your post):"Subsection 4appears to be a "get-out clause" to allow the SoS to make special provisions for particular groups of people. They almost certainly have pension age PIP claimants in mind here. The paragraph actually says:"to make different provision for different cases or purposes (including different provision for persons of different ages);".
To me, this means they could still implement the proposed changes for the under 22 age group from April 2026… Unless ALL proposed changes are to be from November 2026 for new claimants and those aged under 22.
It matters quite a lot to us. 21 yo old daughter only just got LCWRA but will only be 22 at end of May. It would be awful to lose her PIP and LCWRA in April and have to be re-assessed in May when she turns 22, quite possibly not qualifying for the 4 point rule. She has 4 points in one category now, but with tighter restrictions it's entirely possible she will not get 4 again. And there is no chance of her working. There never has been. If she was 22 she could wait until her re-assessment date which is 2028.Interestingly (quote from your post) "The subsection also allows the secretary of state to provide for "a person to exercise discretion in dealing with any matter". So perhaps in my daughter's case, we might be able to make a case??? I doubt it….
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To be honest I don’t understand any of this. We are at the mercy of whatever this government decides to do. They don’t care about us or what happens to anyone. They have such big salaries and luxury lifestyles they’ve lost all sense of reality.
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