Kira Herdman

The government yesterday set out its proposals for changes to the benefit system. While there was some good changes in there personally I think it is one of the worst policies to ever come out of the government so far, along with making the ban on puberty blockers for transgender kids permanent.

What was announced?

Liz Kendal, the work and pensions secretary, set out so called ‘reforms’ to the benefit system in parliament yesterday. Here are the main announcements from what I can tell so far.

• The Daily Living component of PIP, or Personal Independent Payment, is changing.
  • The assessments involve questions about tasks like preparing and eating food, washing and getting dressed. Each is scored from zero to 12. With zero being no difficulty and 12 being for the most severe. These assessments are done by a health professional.
  • From November 2026 the government says people will need to score at least 4 points in one activity, instead of qualifying for support with a score that could describe less severe difficulties (ones and twos) across a broad range of tasks.
  • Example needing help to wash your hair, or your body below the waste would be awarded with 2 points, but needing help to wash shoulders and waist would equate to 4 points.
  • The mobility part of PIP is NOT effected by these changes.
  • The government is also planning more frequent reassessments for many people on PIP. However those with the highest levels of a permanent condition or disability will no longer face assessment.
• Changes to Universal Credit are also coming.
  • Claimants below 22 will NOT be able to get the incapacity top-up of Universal Credit until they are aged 22 or over.
  • New claimants will also see this top-up fall from £97 extra per week in 2025 to £50 per week by next year.
  • The higher rates for existing health-related claimants will be frozen until 2029-2030.
  • However to offset this, the basic payment level for universal credit will rise, reaching a £775 annual increase by the year 2029-2030.

Thoughts

So from what I can find out, some of the changes are good, like the rise in basic payment level but this is all outweighed by the changes to PIP.

The people they are targeting, IE the people who get the full PIP, not people like me who just get the mobility part of PIP, are the most venerable people in the country.

It will be almost impossible for some people to get PIP DLA who currently get it under the new scheme. All to keep to the self-imposed facial rules that the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, who is an ex banker, set out.

I am really angry

The Labour Party came to being in the 1890s/1900s from the trade union movement to help the working class. While this current government has made some good policies in the last 8 months, they are outweighed by the bad ones.

I was a member of the Labour Party during last year’s election. In fact, I wasn’t just a member, I was the LGBT Officer and Disability Officer for my local CLP. This policy announced yesterday just flies in the face of everything I was told.

I knew more than most people about what was going on as I was part of meeting that only LGBT Officers and Disability Officers was invited to. They did not mention anything about these plans on Benefits.

This is the second time Labour has, in my book, flown in the face of core voters.

The first time was the banning of puberty blockers for transgender youth, who are now going to the black market, so putting their lives in danger, to get the medication they need.

Now they are, instead of taxing the rich, going after the most vulnerable people in society.

For a while I have thought that this government was swinging to the right. It has, almost as much as the Tories.

THIS IS NOT A LABOUR GOVERNMENT, IT IS A TORY-LIGHT GOVERNMENT IN ALL BUT NAME.