We need to talk about PIP

Yesterday, the Labour government sank to a new low, ramping up its attack on benefits in a desperate bid to look 'tough' on welfare spending. Rachel Reeves and her gang of austerity enthusiasts pushed forward proposals that wouldn’t look out of place in a Tory manifesto, slashing support for the most vulnerable while parroting right-wing drivel about 'getting people back to work.'

Unsurprisingly, these cruel plans have been met with cheers from the far right, Reform UK and the usual rabble of reactionary commentators are lapping it up. Meanwhile, Labour’s own backbenchers are fuming, with many openly opposing the move, knowing full well this betrayal of working-class people will come back to bite them. https://www.lbc.co.uk/politics/uk-politics/benefits-system-moral-economic-case/ The party that was once the champion of social justice is now cosying up to the very forces it was meant to fight. If this is “New Labour,” it’s nothing more than warmed-over Thatcherism in a red tie.

The UK spends a significant amount annually on social security. In the most recent figures, the total expenditure on social security benefits, which includes pensions, unemployment benefits, disability benefits, housing support, and others, amounts to around £230 billion to £250 billion per year. This is a major component of government spending, making up about 30-35% of total public spending.

The largest portion of this expenditure is the state pension, followed by benefits like Universal Credit, Disability Living Allowance (DLA), and Personal Independence Payments (PIP), which all play a key role in supporting those in need across the country. However, this figure fluctuates slightly from year to year based on inflation, policy changes, and adjustments to eligibility or amounts paid.

In a move that shows just how little the Labour government cares about vulnerable people, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has decided to slash Personal Independence Payments (PIP). She claims it’s part of the fix to shore up a so-called £22 billion black hole in public finances, but in reality, it’s just another attack on those who need support the most. (ifs.org.uk)

Benefits 101: Since the Welfare State was introduced in 1948, the government has committed to spend a lot on benefits because people rely on them to live.  It was a post war solution to create a civilised society that looked after its needy.  It was born from a need to ensure the apaulling levels of poverty Britain endured in the 1930's were never seen again, party as a response to prevent the rise of the far-right in the UK. It was designed from the outset, like the NHS, to be free at the point of need but to be paid for in a deduction from wages.  As with all benefits, those who speak out most, predominatly on the right-wing, have never being in a position where they have needed them. However, we can all become disabled, we can all get ill and most of us will live until pension age. And...and this is important - we've fucking paid for this.

PIP is a benefit designed to help people with the extra costs of living with a disability or illness. It was introduced in 2013 to replace Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and has been criticised ever since for being incredibly difficult to get. The application process is brutal, private companies run assessments, and people are often denied support unfairly, leading to endless appeals. Despite all this, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has found that PIP is one of the only benefits where fraud is barely and issue, so Liz Kendall, the Minister for Work and Pensions’ excuse for cutting it makes no sense unless it is punitive. (ons.gov.uk)

Well, in all fairness to Liz Kendall there was one concession.  She scrapped the humiliation of periodic assessments for PIP claimants with chronic or terminal illnesses, or debilitating diabilities.  I suspect this was an economic choice rather than a dignity one. I mean, I suppose it’s hard to expect someone for example, ex forces, who lost a limb in an IED explosion to magically sprout a new one just because the bureaucrats insist on periodic assessments. I can’t imagine the government thought these brave ex-military personnel were out there, just waiting for the day their missing leg would grow back. How very considerate of them to finally acknowledge that these individuals might not be on some miraculous recovery plan, although I’m sure they’ll find another way to make their lives even more miserable. But hey, it’s progress… in the most begrudging, half-arsed way possible.

Instead of protecting disabled people, Labour is making it even harder for them. Kendall plans to make it tougher to qualify for PIP and force more people into unsuitable work. These cuts are expected to save between £5 billion and £7 billion a year by 2030, but that money is coming straight from the pockets of disabled people who already struggle to get by. Up to 1.2 million people could lose their payments, leaving them in financial crisis and worsening their mental health. (thetimes.co.uk)

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has acknowledged that spending on disability benefits has surged by approximately £20 billion since the pandemic, reaching £48 billion in 2023-24. This figure is projected to escalate to £67 billion by 2029-30. The Scottish Sun In response, the government is considering reforms, including stricter eligibility criteria for Personal Independence Payments (PIP), aiming to save £5 billion annually. AP News.  

The shocking truth is no one really knows how much is spent on disability payments. Disability benefits spending has indeed increased significantly, but the exact amount varies depending on the source.  This is wht there are lots of conflicting number being thrown about.

Let's dispell the scaremongering so we can concentrate of the political cause and effect of these changes. People already on PIP are frightened.  I spoke to a Parliamentary caseworker in a Northern Constituency Office to get some details on this.  They are at the coalface of the anxiety caused by this as they are the first point of contact by people worried about the effect this will have on them.  

Firstly, it's not going to be happening immediately as a Green paper has to go through parliament first. This is Parliamentary process and some elements of the proposed reforms may change as they are debated in both houses. As it stands these changes will not affect current processed claims as they are designed for future claims.  As noted above, life long conditions will no longer be subject to repeated assessments.  It is proposed that the mobility element will remain the same, as will Motability.  The Daily Living Element will be changed, one out of 10 descriptors (activities) must be scored at 4 points or above to qualify for payment of that element. So claimants will need to show that they need supervision on one descriptor as opposed to needing aids or adaptations. PIP will now only be paid to over 18's and under 18s will stay on DLA (Disabilility Living Assessment. As PIP is extremely difficult for younger people to claim, this can be viewed as a positive move. https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/pathways-to-work-reforming-benefits-and-support-to-get-britain-working-green-paper/pathways-to-work-reforming-benefits-and-support-to-get-britain-working-green-paper 

Reeves argues that benefits spending is out of control, but let’s look at the facts. That increase is because more people need support, not because of fraud or waste. But instead of dealing with real financial issues, the government is choosing to balance the books by taking money from those who need it most.

Attacking benefits is the lazy option. It’s an easy way for the government to look like they’re doing something, while completely ignoring the actual problem: the fact that the rich and big businesses are dodging taxes on a massive scale. The UK loses around £32 billion every year due to tax evasion and avoidance, plus another £50 billion in uncollected taxes because HMRC isn’t doing its job properly. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) If the government went after tax dodgers instead, they’d get far more money than they ever will by cutting benefits. But of course, it’s easier to blame disabled people than to go after billionaires and corporations.

Let’s be clear: this is not the Labour Party of Clement Attlee. The party that built the NHS and created the welfare state wouldn’t dream of attacking disabled people like this. If Attlee knew what Starmer’s Labour was doing, he’d be turning in his grave. This isn’t a party of social justice anymore, it’s a party obsessed with looking “fiscally responsible” while making sure the cuts don’t touch the rich.

These cuts aren’t just about saving money. They’re part of a wider attack on the welfare state. Starmer thinks that by lurching to the right he will win back voters who've migrated to Reform.  This is dangerous folly: you fight the right by creating a position that kills their message.  Labour are just reinforcing it.

On another matter, it’s honestly beyond words how the government has the audacity to start calling pensions, something people have paid into week after week, year after year ‘a benefit.’ I mean, ffs, is that what we've come to now? Just because they’ve been stealing from the pot all this time doesn’t mean they get to label it like it’s some sort of handout for the deserving few. So, the question now is, are they going to start coming after these next?  Because if they’re willing to belittle the very thing people worked hard for and paid into, who’s to say they won’t just take that too, or make it 'conditional' like every other thing they’ve tried to destroy? It’s a slippery slope, and they’re greasing it up with the same slimy rhetoric we’ve come to expect. Keep an eye on your savings, folks, they might be next on the chopping block.  Fucking Red Tories.

And speaking of the government’s latest moves, let’s not forget that Wes Streeting has laid the foundations for “payment at the point of need” in the NHS, with the abolition of NHS England and the introduction of the PA24. This is the perfect opportunity for big pharma to waltz in and get unfettered access to the NHS, and of course AGAIN the most vulnerable in society will suffer the most, in a continuing cycle of whatthefuckery left to bear the brunt of a system designed to line the pockets of those who already have too much. Still, Streeting doesn’t have the backbone to stand up for what’s right. He’s too busy dancing to his owners’ tune, bought and paid for by private healthcare companies that want to turn our NHS into another revenue-generating machine. Slow hand clap

By taking away vital support from disabled people, RKendall is undoing decades of progress and even putting the worst excesses of the Tories to shame.  Charities have warned that these changes will push more disabled people into poverty, making life even harder for those who already have it tough.

In short, Labours’ decision to cut PIP is cruel and unnecessary. And what is more Labour know it is. Kendall is pretending it’s about fixing the economy, but in reality, she’s targeting the most vulnerable while letting the rich get away with dodging taxes. The Labour government should be protecting people, not making their lives even harder.  Well done Labour.  I hope you are proud of yourself.

The world has gone mad.  If you enjoyed reading this, please feel free to look at the rest of the blogs on www.TetleysTLDR.com. They're free to view, there's no paywall, they aren't monetised and I won't ask you to buy me a coffee.  Also please free to share.  Just a leftie, standing in front of another leftie, asking to be read.  All the best, Tetley