Lords Back Urgent Disability Benefit Reforms Amid Starmer's Warning of 'Ruthless' Cuts

[Social Media]

 

An inquiry by members of the House of Lords has urged "urgent" reforms to the UK’s disability benefits system, calling on the government to move forward with planned changes. The House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee, in a letter to Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Secretary Liz Kendall, highlighted the pressing need to address rising welfare spending, which it said remains a significant challenge for the government.

 

The report notes that £65 billion is spent annually on health-related benefits, surpassing the government’s defence budget of £54 billion. Committee chair Lord Bridges of Headley emphasized that the current system incentivizes claims for health-related benefits while offering limited encouragement for individuals to transition into employment. He urged immediate action, saying there should be “no delay” in reforms, particularly regarding how claimants are assessed.

 

The intervention comes on the heels of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s comments during a recent visit to Ukraine, where he warned that he would be “ruthless” in cutting benefits if necessary to balance the budget. A green paper outlining planned reforms to health-related benefits is expected this spring, with the government signaling that changes to the controversial Work Capability Assessment (WCA) will be central.

 

Since its introduction in 2008, the WCA has faced widespread criticism for inaccuracies and mistrust. Reports in both 2018 and 2023 found a significant number of incorrect assessment decisions, fueling public dissatisfaction. Lord Bridges criticized the current system as “financially unsustainable” and a waste of human potential, calling on the government to prioritize reforms. He added, “There should be more support to help those who are able to find and accept work—and to ensure that those who cannot work for a period are not abandoned to a life on benefits.”

 

The number of people claiming health-related benefits has surged since the COVID-19 pandemic, with 3.7 million working-age individuals now receiving such support—1.2 million more than in February 2020. The committee pointed to increased mental health issues among young people and growing NHS waiting lists as key factors driving this rise. However, it stated there is “no convincing evidence” that government plans to improve NHS waiting times will significantly reduce these figures. The report also estimates that enabling 400,000 individuals currently out of work due to ill health to re-enter the workforce could save the government £10 billion annually.

 

James Taylor, executive director of strategy at the disability equality charity Scope, called for immediate reforms but warned against focusing solely on cost-cutting. “Our broken benefits system urgently needs fixing, and we know there are a million disabled people who want to work but are denied the opportunity,” Taylor said. He added, “Cutting benefits spend means taking away the support disabled people need to live, which will push many more disabled people into poverty.”

 

Labour has pledged to save £1.3 billion annually through reforms to the WCA, promising to match previous government spending commitments while re-consulting on changes. This follows a High Court ruling that deemed the Conservative government’s consultation on planned reforms “unfair” and “misleading.”

 

A government spokesperson reaffirmed their commitment to boosting employment rates, stating, “We are determined to get Britain working again and have set out our first steps towards delivering an 80% employment rate by joining up local work, health, and skills plans.”

 

Based on a report by The Independent 2025-01-22

 

 

[The Cyclist]

4 hours ago, Social Media said:

A government spokesperson reaffirmed their commitment to boosting employment rates, stating, “We are determined to get Britain working again and have set out our first steps towards delivering an 80% employment rate by joining up local work, health, and skills plans.”

 

Better start making magic wands.

 

Unemployment ticked up yesterday to 4.4%, and will continue to rise if Reeves does not reverse her budget raise of Employer NI contributions and reducing the NI threshold by nearly 50%.

[JonnyF]

5 hours ago, Social Media said:

The intervention comes on the heels of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s comments during a recent visit to Ukraine, where he warned that he would be “ruthless” in cutting benefits if necessary to balance the budget.

 

Clearly he has to work around Rachel from accounts "budget for recession".

 

But ruthlessly cutting disability benefit seems a bit nasty even by Starmer's standards. 

[roquefort]

"The report notes that £65 billion is spent annually on health-related benefits, surpassing the government’s defence budget of £54 billion."

 

That's not even the biggest problem for Rachel from accounts. From the FT:

"The Treasury will spend £110bn on debt interest in 2023, according to a forecast by Fitch. At 10.4 per cent of total government revenue, that would be the highest level of any high-income country."

 

National debt and government spending are out of control, while public services get even worse. It's the perfect storm.

[James105]

19 minutes ago, roquefort said:

"The report notes that £65 billion is spent annually on health-related benefits, surpassing the government’s defence budget of £54 billion."

 

That's not even the biggest problem for Rachel from accounts. From the FT:

"The Treasury will spend £110bn on debt interest in 2023, according to a forecast by Fitch. At 10.4 per cent of total government revenue, that would be the highest level of any high-income country."

 

National debt and government spending are out of control, while public services get even worse. It's the perfect storm.

 

They are in a bit of a pickle.   The solution to this problem goes against every single thing that their ideology demands which is to slash business taxes, scrap net zero, slash foreign aid spending, massively reduce the size of the state, slash benefits, start drilling the north sea, start fracking and deregulate to allow the businesses that actually generate the countries wealth to grow.  

[Chomper Higgot]

42 minutes ago, James105 said:

 

They are in a bit of a pickle.   The solution to this problem goes against every single thing that their ideology demands which is to slash business taxes, scrap net zero, slash foreign aid spending, massively reduce the size of the state, slash benefits, start drilling the north sea, start fracking and deregulate to allow the businesses that actually generate the countries wealth to grow.  

With the exception of your ‘slash benefits’ non of any of that addresses the issue in Lords’ report.

[RuamRudy]

3 hours ago, JonnyF said:

 

Clearly he has to work around Rachel from accounts "budget for recession".

 

But ruthlessly cutting disability benefit seems a bit nasty even by Starmer's standards. 

 

The UK has the highest percentage of people receiving disability benefits in Europe - over 21% of the population. Italy and Spain, in comparison, both are at 5.3%. Something doesn't seem right there.

 

Disability benefits have been used for years to allow successive governments to trim away at less 'sacrosanct' allowances without leaving people fully destitute. But now, when there is no fat at all on the rest of the benefit system, the only option is to question why we are, on paper at least, so chronically more sick than the rest of Europe.

 

https://oaktreemobility.co.uk/help-and-advice/health-and-wellbeing/top-10-european-countries-with-the-highest-disabled-populations-how-do-their-benefits-stack-up

 

[roquefort]

" the only option is to question why we are, on paper at least, so chronically more sick than the rest of Europe."

 

There's you answer. Declaring you have a self-diagnosed 'metal health' issue has become acceptable, even fashionable. And the gullible benefit assessors go along with it, so that millions can sit on their sofas watching daytime TV and stuffing themselves with junk food, which of course exacerbates their 'metal health' issues'.

[roquefort]

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

With the exception of your ‘slash benefits’ non of any of that addresses the issue in Lords’ report.

Are you so blind as to not see that the UK's out-of-control government spending goes far beyond the issue of disability benefits? 

 

The Lords report covers just one symptom of an underlying disease. Tinkering around the edges will not resolve the fundamental problem, as Rachel from accounts is finding out.

[jas007]

56 minutes ago, RuamRudy said:

 

The UK has the highest percentage of people receiving disability benefits in Europe - over 21% of the population. Italy and Spain, in comparison, both are at 5.3%. Something doesn't seem right there.

 

Disability benefits have been used for years to allow successive governments to trim away at less 'sacrosanct' allowances without leaving people fully destitute. But now, when there is no fat at all on the rest of the benefit system, the only option is to question why we are, on paper at least, so chronically more sick than the rest of Europe.

 

https://oaktreemobility.co.uk/help-and-advice/health-and-wellbeing/top-10-european-countries-with-the-highest-disabled-populations-how-do-their-benefits-stack-up

 

21%??? That's crazy.  Then again, depending on non how they define the term "disabled," maybe that's the problem.  What started out as a well intentioned disability safety net has been morphed into a catch-all welfare program.  That's usually the way these things work.  In the USA, the Social Security Administration always has a backlog of cases to adjudicate.  Hundreds of thousands, including cases on appeal.  The numbers increase when the economy takes a downturn.  People can't find a job and so they claim "disability."   It costs them nothing to apply. 

[Briggsy]

For those not familiar with the UK, if you can get on "the PIP", the benefits are amazing. I know single blokes picking up £1400 a month tax free. In addition, they have 90% of council tax paid (this might typically be around £2000 per year) and their rent paid up to around £400 per month.

 

If they took any job for less than £30,000 a year they would immediately be financially worse off and they would have to get up in the morning.

 

They just have to apply for PIP, get rejected and then appeal where they usually get it accepted and all back-dated. There are websites telling you exactly what to say, along with the best medical claims to state and some GP's are more flexible in signing you off work.

 

It is the goal of huge swathes of society to get on the PIP in the UK so they don't need to go to work. There are huge numbers on it. Once you get it, you are pretty much left alone for years and the money just rolls into your bank account.

[Chomper Higgot]

19 minutes ago, roquefort said:

Are you so blind as to not see that the UK's out-of-control government spending goes far beyond the issue of disability benefits? 

 

The Lords report covers just one symptom of an underlying disease. Tinkering around the edges will not resolve the fundamental problem, as Rachel from accounts is finding out.

I’m sufficiently sighted to understand the Lords’ report provides zero support to your claims in this post.

[JonnyF]

Starmer is a bit like Robin Hood.

 

Except he steals from the old/disabled/farmers and gives it to immigrants or foreign countries in overseas aid. 

 

I'm so jealous of the Americans right now. 

[Chomper Higgot]

More of this please, but go much further.

 

Extend this to tax dodgers and child maintenance evaders,

 

Don’t just remove driving licenses, cancel and refuse to renew passports too:

 

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jan/22/dwp-crackdown-could-see-people-banned-from-driving-if-welfare-debts-go-unpaid