Upcoming changes to benefits

Only if the people get SDP. Over half the people moving from ESA to UC get no TP because the basic rate is a lot higher.

However the way things are going UC will end up being the same rate as the current ESA, plus the people who get TP will never see a benefit rise for maybe 10 years now if the cuts come in..

Nobody knows the details yet, i think this will be more for new claimants, however their is high chance this will end up going to high court so this will get challenged with the LCWRAG group.

This will end up getting watered down before becoming law and could possibly take years.

Glad Wes Streeting is getting called out by experts! He’s such a slimy little — I’m going to censor myself here. But you get the point.

The fact he called it “mental wellbeing” makes it even more ridiculous. As I said earlier — it’s mental ILLNESS. It’s a literal, medical, legal disability. No one is getting signed off work or awarded PIP for “mild stress” or whatever he wants to make it out to be

Editing to add: this isn’t to minimise people with stress no matter how “minor” it might seem, it’s a real and valid issue and deserves to be taken seriously. But these uneducated idiots appear to think that people are getting PIP/LCWRA based on that, and not severe mental illness diagnosis’

Of course!

Main paragraph is ‘Among MPs there is also widespread concern about reported plans to cut - or potentially freeze - the top rate of benefits for disabled people who are unable to work…’

Why thank you, I don’t know if it’s a leak or a compromise or what, but they’ve already backed down (apparently) on a PIP freeze, a LCWRA freeze for a year is a big improvement and we just then need to work on the PIP descriptors / application already being made harder than it already is.

I agree, a freeze would be pretty grim considering the rate inflation has been this last few years but we could at least survive. A cut would be devastating.

Like I said above i totally agree, changing the PIP descriptors is another thing to work on now.

The Article has appeared in full on the Guardian Website now:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/16/starmer-to-drive-through-welfare-cuts-that-could-affect-uks-most-severely-disabled

It does say ‘The bulk of the expected £5bn to £6bn in cuts will come from making it tougher to qualify for Pip – a key disability benefit not linked to work – which is likely to deny payments to many with conditions such as autism.Despite the widespread backlash, scope for further change is now unlikely.’

HOWEVER! There’s also news on the Daily Mail now, which while typical of them being so insulting to the disabled:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14505345/amp/Labour-plans-tackle-welfare-bill-fears-backbench-rebellion.html

It also has one other bit of good news on it here: ‘Any plan to freeze PIP or change eligibility rules would require primary legislation which could trigger a revolt.’

So I’m hopeful even if they do try to change eligibility criteria on Tuesday (which seems pretty likely is the main thing, along with a possible LCWRA freeze ) then there’ll be such a major kick-off they’ll have to abandon that too.

I at least feel much more positive now than i did at any other time since this was announced.

I really hope it would be a freeze over cuts if anything.

The mental health issues side of things is also horrifying. They'll be going back to simply calling people 'neurotic' and 'hysterical' if they stick to this track. Saying all that's needed is a good slap and a whiff of smelling salts and all is well.