Make no mistake: Labour’s welfare cuts will kill a lot of people

Our new labour government has been in power for around 11 months. In that time, we, the general public, have been spoon fed nothing but misery about the state of the economy and how it was left in a dire state by the previous administration, that welfare spending is out of control, and that without drastic measures, we as a country would fail to grow, prosper, or do well in any regard.

I would like to take this opportunity to educate anyone not familiar with how the benefits system works with regards to ill health, lifelong conditions, mental health, and unemployment.

The main benefit that anyone claims is universal credit in the first instance. The default for this is around £400 per month (less if you are younger, and also depends on if you are a couple, etc). Out of this ‘generous’ allowance, someone, say a jobseeker, is expected to pay for all personal essentials, i.e. food, all utilities, and clothing. It is one of the lowest rates of welfare of its type in the world.

If you are unwell, you are then potentially awarded the LCWRA– (Limited Capability For Work And Work Related Activity), if you ask to be assessed, or if you are passed for an assessment by the DWP. Crucially, this gives claimants an extra £423 (approx) into their claim for universal credit, and is not related to PIP. You do not need to claim PIP to be on LCWRA, or vice versa. If you are in LCWRA, your online journal messages in universal credit are frequently ignored, sometimes for months.

In this respect the “being written off on the sick” comments about welfare are in fact true, taken from an adminstration point of view. But this is not the fault of the people claiming universal credit, or trying to balance things. It is a failure of the system to provide flexibility- it has been constructed that way. It’s abhorrent to blame unwell people and take away eligibility for this failure by the DWP in how they manage claims and the people claiming. The fact is that this system is indeed very flawed, but to remove money directly from claimants with health issues is the wrong approach to reform.

Under current guidance, the WCA (Work Capability Assessment) governs the eligibility for the LCWRA. Again, all of this has nothing to do with PIP as it stands.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a welfare system designed to help people with disabilities to lead productive lives (on paper). These disabilities encompass a vast range of conditions, but also include neurodivergence (Autism, ADHD) and severe mental health issues (Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder). At time of writing, eligibility is independent of working status, savings or if you claim other benefits. The PIP assessment itself is a humiliating and gruelling process. Medical evidence supplied by GPs, medical professionals dealing with the claimant, and personal testimonies are ignored in favour of a points based score on different ‘descriptors’. This is a harrowing ordeal, I have been through it myself as an Autistic adult, and in the end won in a tribunal- as so many cases do due to the flawed nature of these assessments, carried out by non medically trained, privately hired persons who are in the end, aiming to refuse people their dues, based on refusal as the first answer.

The reason why the welfare changes proposed are so severe and serious, is that the government proposes using PIP assessments in place of the WCA, while tightening the criteria to claim at the same time. In other words, its a double cut- LCWRA will be phased out and removed completely, and all eligibility will be determined on the points system for PIP, which we all already know to be deeply flawed. It’s nothing short of armageddon for people who are unwell for any reason- it’s a complete removal of the welfare state as we know it.

More than this though, it removes the safety net for those who cannot work due to injury, a mental health episode, or serious illness such as cancer. The government is being clear, work or get nothing. I am an acute and chronic migraine sufferer, just telling me to work while I have an attack will not make the attack stop. It’s in essence a form of high level discrimination, and is already causing widespread panic. Removing both PIP and the LCWRA award from claimants will cause deaths.

The UK welfare system is a complex one, and it is right that some reform is needed. However, what is being proposed is nothing short of cutting drastic amounts of money from seriously ill and disabled people, and those with mental health conditions, who are unable to work and will simply be pushed into destitution. It will clearly have a knock on effect to the people who care for unwell loved ones, or support people with neurodivergent conditions- and we as an organisation completely reject this bill.

The welfare reform bill MUST be defeated.

It is an affront to any moral values regardless of party affiliation.

Please use this link to contact your MP to voice your support.

Dr. J Roberts