Disability Benefit Cuts - Take action before July 9th.

Intreasting because we actually have a letter from United nations stating many human rights violations

Err, actually no, I take that back, according to Latest on UC and PIP bill as Labour gets through third reading

Severe conditions criteria

There have been no changes to the extremely hard to meet severe conditions criteria as set out in the bill.  These will come into force for new claims in April 2026 and will decide whether claimants receive the higher rate of the UC health element and whether they are subject to reassessment..

Timms did seek to reassure MPs claiming: 

"The severe conditions criteria in the bill exactly reflects how the functional tests are applied at present.  That is in guidance. It’s being moved in this bill into legislation.  It does take account of Parkinson’s.  It does take account of MS.  Because people need to meet the descriptors reliably, safely, repeatedly and in a reasonable time frame.  And so I can give a very firm assurance to those who are concerned about how the severe conditions criteria will work for those on fluctuating conditions.

"The word constantly here refers, as I said in my intervention earlier, to the functional criteria needing to apply at all times, not to somebody’s symptoms."

We consider this reassurance to be disingenuous.  We’ll be writing more about this in the near future.

So, looks like Timms and Co are lying, trying to pull a fast one, sharp practising sharks, and wideboys, were in government we can do whatever we want, in comparison to you plebs in every other industry and profession, your rules dont apply to us etc etc..

I think most of us have more than one diagnosis really. If I just had fibromyalgia I may be able to do more with painkillers, though right now I have to limit them due to other conditions. It’s thevME fatigue that’s the worst thing .
I don’t even know what changes they’ve won tbh . The only thing is the reduction in the health element for new claimants. But it works out about the same as legacy esa so I’m not sure why it’s so important now than it was for esa .

secretsquirrel, I still think there needs to be much caution around what Timms said yesterday, as we know full well, what he says and what he does are two very different things. The only concession I got from yesterday, that's if you can call it a concession as it should be part of his review anyway, was that he will listen to disabled folk and organisations and he will use those discussions when he applies changes PIP. The bit about fluctuating conditions and severe conditions I need a lot more convincing before I believe any of that.

What an awful government mrsBB . Cannot be trusted at all . After all of us , pensioners disabled and now send kids

This has broken alot of us I'm so angry disappointed if we trusted them maybe feel slightly different but no way trust them and them today read a group of Labour mps doing something about poverty I don't know I don't know if anyone's like me I'm a trigger mode I can't believe it pls make sure if your mp voted for it vote them out mine Was against but didn't attend!!

Zipz, I have now read that ''There is no public declaration yet from the Speaker confirming the Universal Credit bill has been officially certified as a Money bill'' I guess we still wait.

Ps and work commitments

My understanding of this is , when the WCA is scrapped , the health element of UC will be decided through the new pip assessment that takes over from it and what ever criteria it holds ( 4 point rule not being part of it anymore )

I don't think it's being kept under wraps. The status of the Bill is now up to the Speaker. His decision might not be immediate in this case. Perhaps we won't know until the Bill reaches the Lords. The House rises for recess on 24th. Here's the latest from B & W:

What happens next

At the time of writing we do not know if the bill has been certified as a money bill.  If it has not, then it will go to the Lords who can put forward amendments in the normal way.

If it is a money bill, it will still go to the House of Lords, but this is a formality.  In theory, the Lords can suggest amendments but, because it is a money bill, the government are free to simply ignore them.  After one month the bill as currently written will become law.

The changes in the bill, however, will not come into force until April 2026.