Universal Credit Act 2025 - Latest Updates (05.03.26)

@sarah_lea12

I had a pip reassessment last year.

I used to get three year awards each time but this time I wrote on my form requesting a longer award, and to my amazement I had a paper based assessment, kept high rate on both elements, and I was given an 'ongoing ten year' award.

I wish you the best outcome when you have your assessment.

I do not understand the comment above re barricades? Please enlighten me.

This is from the free paper on the bus in Leeds:

Metro.co.uk Thursday June 26th 2025

Letters

[ ] Can we ever imagine a time when the British government of the day wont seek to make the sick and disabled pay for its spending choices in other areas?

Philip Duval, Manchester.

[ ] Sir Keir Starmer is buying 12 F-35A US jets to expand our 'nuclear deterrence'.

We have been aware of the threat from Russia for many years, even before Vladmir Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022 (or 2014 if we are counting Crimea) yet we have been happy to let Ukraine fight this wart on behalf of the rest of Europe instead of giving them what they need to actually push Russia back, which you would think would be the most effective way of protecting the UK from Russian aggression.

This newfound appetite for defence spending is clearly being driven by Donald Trump's threat of withdrawing from NATO unless European states spend more, which effectively highlights who it is that determines UK defence policy.

Is this really the best way to protect the UK in modern warfare, which is highly digitised and much more reliant on new technology such as drones.

In particular, is it really the case having 10 times as many nuclear weapons equates to 10 times as much nuclear deterrence, given a single nuclear strike would have such huge consequences?

Sir Keir Starmer has chosen to prioritise an arms race over welfare, climate change, international collaboration and human rights.

What a difference a year in power make

Federico Moscogluri, Hertford.

New PIP Claimants after UC PIP Bill 2025:

- do they have the same criteria for getting PIP as before the Bill, or different?

• Are there more frequent and stricter tests to be able to claim PIP?

Please advise Scope benefit advisors, or anyone else qualified to answer?

The public at least 20 million of them out of UK population of 67 million claim some kinmd of disability welfare benefit, or could do., so we are the public, and have friends and allies, who care for us.

So, if we galvanise our disability, mental health and elderly/ grey power groups we can reverse the OPIP changes.

Also, I am still continuing to ask charity lawyers, including Mind Legal Unit, poro bono solicitors if there is any legal challenge at all, as the PIP changes, and ESA changes too have been described as unfair yes, but also illegal.

IU have been asking for 1 year now, and may actually take the govt to court, have set 3 legal precedents in my life. One was to overturn the decision of the DSS who refused me Income Support, a measly £16 odd, back in 1981, because I was not 18 years old, or estranged from my parents.

I told the DSS manager via complaint from a solicitor, at Chapeltown and Herehills Law Centre, Leeds 7, that I saw on the 10 O'[ Clock News, both BBC and ITN, that it said if someone is a citizen of the UK and destitute through no fault of their own, they are entitled to welfare benefits.

I said further, that the DSS is there to support people and after 5 months of no income, leaving home after 11 years of domestic violence by 5 members of my family, I would rather starve to death than go 'home.'

And that I was trying to improve my life by doing A Levels and they should support me.

I did not have a diagnosis of depression, anxiety, and PTSD, or mood disorder, all these came at least 20 years later, so I missed out on disability benefits, and appropriate healthcare from the NHS making my physical and mental health worse. So costing the DDSS more and the NHS because of lack of early diagnosis.

I gained a small amount of compensation for severe hardship, after writing to my MP, Dennis Healey at the time.

Also I publicised my story in local and national newspapers, and said the DSS should be totally ashamed of themselves for causing me intense worry, stress, increasing anxiety and depression, .

I did get an apology from the DSS District Manager.

It was a horrible traumatising experience.

And then 10 years later I became a disability and mental health advocate.

Dear Catherine21

I am sorry you too had similar and different struggles re your mental health.

The fact that you became a support worker was a great achievement, even if were not able to sustain this valuable role. You were are an expert by excperience.

And should be PROUD of gaining paid emnployment, giving support care and compassion, as well as apt challenges to other disabloed and distressed foilk.

You work was invaluable.

We are so stigmatised Catherine, and everyone, we devalue our achievements, against trhe odds because of the cruel anmd hatefrul stigma.

This is interenaliused disablism, and we can recgnise it as such for what it is, baggae from oppression, a hateful society, at least in part; of course there are those whjo care aboyut uas deelpy too. Other disable people anmd mental health survivors.

There are allies whjo belive we are worth supporting, as capable as intelligent as any no disabled persons.

We need to STOP devaluing ourselves.

We are human beings who deserve far better; we do not need to sie from suicide - because that is the indicator of just how badly we are treated - viciouysly in fact. We are worth huiman dignity life and love and support anbd recognitioin,. We are NOT pieces of **** uindrer someones shoe, althougfh we have felt l;ike that, because of constant messages thjat we are not quite equal, or not wrth listening to, not worth our benfits, that we are scroungers. All of thois is disablism and it saps the life, and fight the life foirce from us.

WE DONT NEED TO BUY THE DISABLIST PROPAGANDA, WE HAVE A CHOICE, HOWEER SMALL AT FIRST TO RECOGNISE OUR HUMANITY THE VALIDITY OF OUR THOUGHTS FEELINGS AND ACTIONS.

There are 2 different things going on here:

1

Yes we have intenalised baggae stigma, from the stigmas of disanblism and mentalism, these bogus cruel oppressioons.

Some of us on top oif that have sexism and racism internalised, yet we can recognise and feel that the opprerssors stuff and bigfotry are THEIRS NOT OURS. We can live again. The very fact we are live, that I am alive is a miuracle.

2

We have tr

o deal with the harsh reality of Disablism in all its forms, just to survive, to build self esteem, to live and love, to feel joy, that we have a right to9 exist, because there are many Fascists and Nazis who want us dead.

In other words, we have to know what the problem is.

It is oppression in a word, we are victims or have been and do not need to be miserable depressed, anxious traumatised victims.

We can live life to the full with friends allies and love, the strength of disabled comrades, whether they are socialists, like me, like you? or not.

We need DISABILTY PRIDE.

I am proud to be a disabled person, I am proud to be a mental health survivor and thriver, recognised by an outstanding achievement award in community work, and other forms of recognition. People say I'm a great chair of meetings, have a GSOH so wacky and Monty Python (great fantastic message their Life of Brian: #Lifes a piece of S*** when you look at it but … always look on the bright side of life.. a Buddhist mantra of course like, glass half full.) Bonkers humour. I am a true individual Bonkers Buddhist. I am madcap, Zany, and a crazy spontaneous and joyful dancer. Courageous.

We need more meetings in the disability pride movement just to focus opn deconstructing the cruel oppression of disablism, and to construct to create a higher self-esteem.

Your sentences are rather long, and sometimes it is difficult to understand what you are saying Catherine, I recognise this trait. The need to be heard to be recognised and valued, and the anxiety that accompanies speech.

If you are saying its your brain that causes your disabilities, perhaps not, or only partly. There is the rough harsh reality of social oppression: bullying at home school, the workplace, and harassment, shunning of disabled people in public places such as pubs and restaurants.

There is a capitalist investment in saying the cause are in our brains, genes, or some other 'constitutional factors, but not the psychosocial structural aspect.

Hence the psychosocial model of disability not the biomedical model.

It is definite psychol;gical and social oppression this disablist mentalist stigma. Also many oif us are poor always have ben, we are working class, or from families, like mine that are half unemployed with all the oppression of stigma of not working.

It is also the vicious class system.

Its it only our brains then medication is the answer, and not better opportunities for supported work, or being left alone on benefits, or openness and welcoming wherever we go in society.

And the answer if it our brain chemistry is provided by multinational pharmaceuticals, and medication isn't perfect, there are '[side' effects, even adverse effects - Prozac nearly killed me via 3 weeks of insomnia - and then as suicide attempt back in summer of 1993.

Fortunately, I survived anfd knew from that crisis on I had either to slowly but defginitely, gradually, rebuild my sel;f esteem, self compassion. Because real change is slow not manic . That I did and I am so glad I did that hard work of cultivating insight through therapy, setting up support groups, meeting new friends, survivors and thrivers i disability pride and mental health pride.

All is not lost

we can reverse the changes, the cuts of benefits, but it will require ,ore responsiveness, not indulging in despair, creating courage and getting the practical task done, people volunteering for the tsks to make a strategy outlined in previous recent posts.

If we don't believe we can do this and go along with disablism, and not organise unite and fight back not with bitterness, but sweet reasoning, and lovemaking a case.

No one is going to liberate us, do it for us.

We have to do it ourselves, united proud and strong, alive, really alive, instead of the misery, the AGONY of suicidal feelings - which we definitely DO NOT deserve.

And WE CAN DO IT

rebuild our human dignity, self worth, our self-esteem, self compassion and the best in our disability pride humanity

AND

Get the £2.5bn cuts reversed, if we organise together.

''Because you are worth it!'' Think Loreal advert for skin cream; told you I was wacky, bonkers madcap Milan Ghooooossshhhh!!!

Hi out there, does anyone know if there is a bill that has gone through the house of lords in which the DWP can take up to 40% of funds available if they suspect fraud with no evidence? At any given time

Yes had royal Desent 3rd December 2025 come into effect now or they already have been not sure they can take 40 percent fot first payment then 20 percent ongoing they do not need a court order to take from banks