An Emergency Handbrake for UK Welfare

ashmere
ashmere Community Member Posts: 71 Empowering
in Benefits and income

From the Rightsnet site

Tony Blair Institute calls for ‘non-work-limiting’ conditions to no longer lead to entitlement to benefits

Further to calls last year for action to stop people with less severe mental health problems from accessing disability benefits - from, among others, the Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, the Shadow Chancellor, and Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch - and further to Reform UK leader Nigel Farage having said this week that mild anxiety is not a reason to be on disability benefits, the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) has called for welfare reform in relation to 'non-work-limiting' conditions:

On a daily basis, nearly 1,000 people in Britain sign on to benefits.

As part of the government’s effort to restore trust in the welfare system, we believe it could and should pull an emergency handbrake now that will slow the rise of claimants.

The handbrake is based on a simple idea: there are certain conditions that in the vast majority of cases do not limit an individual’s ability to work, and the default presumption should be that these “non-work-limiting” conditions no longer attract cash benefits. Many of these conditions are those that have proliferated since the pandemic, particularly mental-health conditions.

It is a handbrake that can be pulled now, using secondary legislation ahead of more significant reform later in this parliament ...

The TBI adds that, in addition to there being a moral and a fiscal imperative to reform the system:

This is an emergency handbrake informed by public sentiment. Exclusive polling commissioned by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and conducted by YouGov shows people are starting to tire of a system so clearly unfit for purpose. Around half of respondents believe that some of the conditions currently recognised by the system do not, in practice, limit people’s ability to work.

More: An emergency handbrake for UK welfare: Stabilising spending, supporting people

https://www.rightsnet.org.uk/now/post/70995

Comments

  • luvpink
    luvpink Community Member Posts: 4,411 Championing

    It doesn't surprise me one little bit.

    Liebour, the Tories and Reform have been saying similar things about their intention to reduce the disability benefits bill.

    I wonder what is meant by 'exclusive polling"? and who actually got to vote on these issues.

  • SoapySoutar
    SoapySoutar Community Member Posts: 551 Empowering

    As long as the government are offering actual help for those with non-work-limiting conditions, this might nnot be such a bad thing.

    If, as i would expect, there is little to no practical, jobseeking help; then this proposal would amount to no more than a cost cutting exercise.

    Spending many years economically inactive is a real problem. It destroys self esteem, and may well lead to a worsening of one's health conditions. I really wish I had been provided with real support in 2010, but my pleas fell on deaf ears; I was left to waste my time applying for another job, competing with the able bodied.

  • SoapySoutar
    SoapySoutar Community Member Posts: 551 Empowering
    edited April 28

    Modertors, please delete my second attempt. If indeed the initial post can be reclaimed from the filter!

  • SheffieldMan1976
    SheffieldMan1976 Posts: 1,377 Connected

    Ending benefit claiming in the UK? Won't happen, and never will, the right seriously needs to shut up.

  • alexroda
    alexroda Community Member Posts: 378 Trailblazing

    if you are constantly bombarded by fraudulent media with fake news and fake numbers no wonder some people, I will also like to think what poll they are referring to, get fed up.

    And then you get instances like this one:

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/29/disabled-britons-report-rise-in-abuse-blue-badges

    These are evil people spreading hatred and fear and unfortunately some people Fall for it

  • SheffieldMan1976
    SheffieldMan1976 Posts: 1,377 Connected
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1121782#Comment_1121782

    Indeed, some of the stuff I've been called online and in person because I can't get a job is literally unrepeatable in civlised conversation.

    All by people who have jobs but spend all their time on Facebook et al on work PCs when they should be doing actual work.

  • SoapySoutar
    SoapySoutar Community Member Posts: 551 Empowering
    https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/1121781#Comment_1121781

    Who mentioned 'ending benefit claiming'? I read above about those with 'non-work-limiting' conditions.

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