Benefits no future cuts?

alexroda · January 29

interesting article in the guardian today about benefits.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/29/labour-welfare-changes-politics-stephen-timms

Just to quote an extract from it:

“He reminds us why panic about the “rising” benefit bill is bogus: the proportion of GDP spent on working-age benefits has not changed for 40 years; it’s still at 4-5%.”

I understand this was mentioned by Stephen Timms.

that goes to show that all that right wing hateful propaganda, was just that. Hateful propaganda.

alexroda · January 29

hateful propaganda that Lier Starmer was very happy to promote.

Let’s never forget that.

Chris75_ · January 29

Statistics are no substitute for the snake oil being peddled by certain right wing politicians.

The facts about GDP spend will be lost in the froth and outrage. If it didn't work, they would change tactics.

Nightcity · January 29

Judging by other articles today also posted on here, the truth is they have postponed everything because he's (Starmer) panicking about the may elections and knows rocking the boat further now would be beyond silly.

the plans seem to be "on hold" but given the fact the may elections are unlikely to be better just because he has done that, I suspect if we are lucky this is him taking a big step back with the plan to kick it fully under the carpet with a suite of excuses next year, at worst we get a years repreive before he tries his hand again, but judging by all the quotes from Backbenchers who say they'll rebel again and even frontbenchers saying they doubt welfare can now be touched, I doubt he'll get anything through as intended.

SwiftFox · February 1

Key Changes to Benefits

Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

Eligibility Restrictions: New criteria will make it harder for individuals to qualify for PIP, potentially affecting around 1.3 million current claimants.
Impact on Income: Those losing PIP could see an average income loss of £4,500 per year.

Universal Credit (UC)

Health Element Reduction: The health component of UC will be cut for new claimants starting April 2026, reducing the amount from £97 per week to £50 per week.
Freezing Rates: Existing claimants will have their rates frozen, meaning no increase in line with inflation.

Employment Support

Increased Funding: The government plans to invest an additional £1 billion per year in employment support for disabled individuals.
Work Capability Assessment (WCA): The WCA will be scrapped, with PIP assessments becoming the sole method for determining eligibility for the health element of UC.

Implications of the Cuts

Increased Poverty Risk: The cuts are expected to push many disabled individuals further into poverty, with estimates suggesting that 350,000 households could lose over 30% of their income.
Employment Challenges: There are concerns that the job market lacks sufficient opportunities for disabled individuals, making it difficult for them to find suitable employment even with improved support.

SwiftFox · February 1

2027/28 – LCWRA for under-22sOne of the Green Paper proposals currently open to consultation concerns the future of the UC LCWRA element for young adults. It is planned that claimants under 22 will stop getting an LCWRA or ‘health’ element from 2027/28. Welfare rights advisers have voiced concerns about the repercussions of this change for all young people, but particularly for young parents and for those young people in education who would presently be unable to receive UC without LCWRA status.