The Universal Credit Bill becomes law. Here are the changes to disability benefits you need to know

I have been consistent throughout. The FOI is useful, but it reflects the system as it stood. DL PIP as gateway was not part of the Green Paper consultation. Paragraph 37 refers to aligning support with daily living needs, but it does not propose scrapping the Work Capability Assessment or formalising PIP as the sole gateway.

That shift has been signalled, yes, but it has not been legislated or consulted on directly. That distinction matters, especially when safeguarding is at stake. I have never denied the Government’s direction of travel. I have said the legislative framing has not yet been published. That is not evasion. It is precision.

Urgency is not the issue for me. Others may feel differently, but I am holding mine for when the Government puts its intentions into writing. The White Paper will show who is affected, how exclusions are defined, and what was carried forward from consultation. That is when scrutiny becomes meaningful and when accountability begins.

I, along with many of our members, opposed the repeal of the Work Capability Assessment throughout the passage of the Welfare Reform Bill. We engaged in direct lobbying and sustained dialogue with MPs and ministers.

The legislation is now on the statute book, and the Limited Capability for Work element has been formally removed.

Paragraph 37 is frequently quoted, but it merely confirms the implementation of measures already enacted. It does not reopen the issue. The reference to primary legislation concerns a process that has concluded, not one available for reversal. Repeating it as if the repeal remains under debate risks misdirecting scrutiny and confusing the legislative status.

In my view, our strategic focus should now shift to the design of the replacement regime. This includes how eligibility for the new Health Element will be defined, who may be excluded by a Daily Living PIP gateway, what routes exist for challenge or amendment, and how safeguarding and transitional protections will operate.

The new framework has not yet been published. Until the White Paper appears, any claims about scoring thresholds or exclusions remain speculative. Understandably, speculation can be deeply unsettling for members, especially when it begins to outpace confirmed detail. That is precisely why scrutiny must be anchored in what is structurally real and still open to influence.

FOI data may illuminate risks under the previous system, but it does not describe the current legislative settlement. With the Bill enacted, scrutiny is best directed at shaping what comes next.

Others may choose to campaign to overturn what is already in law. That is their prerogative, and I wish them well. My priority is the detail still being shaped, where scrutiny, lobbying, and targeted pressure on damaging proposals can still make a difference.