The United Kingdom government has reversed its decision to cut disability benefits after facing significant opposition from Labour MPs. The proposed changes would have tightened eligibility for a key disability benefit, removing the Personal Independence Payment from hundreds of thousands of people with long-term physical or mental health conditions. Another health-related benefit received by people on low incomes would also have been reduced under the plans.
According to Care Minister Stephen Kinnock, the government has now agreed to a “staggered approach” to the reforms, meaning that the narrower eligibility criteria proposed will only apply to new claimants, not those already receiving the benefit payments. “What’s clear from the announcement today is that it’s going to be a more staggered process whereby people who are existing claimants are protected,” Kinnock said.
The U-turn comes after 126 Labour MPs publicly backed a move to block the proposals, forcing the government to reconsider its plans.
The proposed changes were estimated to save the government 5 billion pounds ($6.8bn) a year from a welfare bill that has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, many Labour legislators balked at the changes, which the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank estimated would cut the income of 3.2 million people by 2030.
This is not the first time the government has been forced to backtrack on its policies. In recent months, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has faced criticism for his handling of various issues, including the planned winter fuel benefit cuts and the response to historic child sex exploitation scandals.
Steven Fielding, a political scientist and professor at Nottingham University, said that Labour’s traditional centre-left principles appear to be at odds with Starmer’s leadership. “Labour is meant to stand for fairness, and those two flagship mistakes are all about being unfair,” Fielding said.
The government’s U-turn has been welcomed by disability advocates and opposition parties, who have hailed it as a victory for those who stood up against the proposed cuts. However, some have cautioned that the government’s long-term commitment to disability support remains uncertain.
A YouGov poll of more than 10,000 Britons released this week found that while Labour is losing voters to Reform, it is also forfeiting supporters to the Liberal Democrats and the Greens on the left. “They’ve been making so many unforced errors,” said Fielding. “I think there is now a very reluctant recalibration of things”.