Those with ‘milder mental health’ problems and ‘physical conditions at lower level’ can see that they cut offers for disability, as the government wants to shave £ 6 billion of the welfare account.
Liz Kendall, the secretary of work and pensions, are expected to target Tuesday disease and disability benefit payments for savingswhich will come to the spring next Wednesday.
Politically latest: Welfare reforms ‘threatening’
Her welfare reform green paper will show up after Downing Street insisted that there is a “moral and an economic matter to correct our broken system”.
Government figures argue that the rising disease and disabilities Bill, which has been balloon since the pandemic balloon, is unsustainable and that the welfare state will lose legitimacy in the eyes of the wider public, if not handled.
The cuts come like The Chancellor is looking at a hole in the public finances On the back of lower -than -expected growth and rising borrowing costs, with the £ 9.9bn in main space she had at the budget in October, which was now wiped out.
Rachel Reeves’ self-imposed fiscal rules average daily government spending must be covered by tax revenue by 2029-30, which needs her billions of pounds to spend cutting (after his further tax increase, her other option).
Use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Welfare reforms will ensure ‘confidence in the system’
What changes should we expect?
Ms. Kendall is expected to target Personal Independence Payments (PIP) – one of the most important forms of disability benefits for those with long -term diseases or disabilities – amid an increase in plaintiffs.
The PIP account has grown from £ 13.7bn a year before the pandemic to £ 21.8bn in the current financial year, and will rise to £ 34.1bn by the end of the decade.
The number of people who claim that this disability benefit is more than double from two million to 4.3 million.
The secretary of the work and pensions will tell MPs that labor will protect those who have a serious condition and cannot work, and The government rushed back from plans to freeze pip payments after setbacks from its MPs.
These payments are now expected to rise in accordance with inflation, but the eligibility criteria will be tightened to return the number of people who are eligible.
One government figure told me it would lead to some circumstances, such as ‘milder mental health’ or ‘physical conditions at lower level’, which is not suitable for PIP.
But they emphasized that those with more serious conditions and who will never be able to work would be protected and cared for.
Read more:
What benefits can be cut?
Why labor is so uncomfortable
Use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
“I couldn’t survive”
The key principles that float reforms
The changes are likely to make criticism from some MPs, although one senior labor source said they did not think that there would be ministerial resignations about the benefits announcements.
Another labor figure said they would be “big shocked” if there were resignations.
However, a number of Labor MPs expressed concern, just like Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
In an effort to soften MPs, the Secretary of Work and Pensions are also expected to earmark £ 1 billion savings in employment support programs as she frames the reforms around three clear principles.
👉 Tap here to listen to the election feature on your Podcast app 👈
The first is to prevent people from falling into prolonged economic inactivity, with a better support offer to get people back into work.
The second is to change the incentive systems to move people away from welfare dependence.
This may believe that Ms Kendall has the highest level of disability advantage for people who work, a disease or disability that limits their ability to work, while increasing the basic rate of support for those who do not work (universal credit).
This is because the lower level of unemployment benefit has led more people to claim for additional disability and disability benefits, while upsetting them to try to find work.
The government will also announce a ‘right to try’ scheme, so that those who can try to return disability benefits work without the risk of losing their benefits, as in the current system.
Use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Will there be a setback about benefits?
“I don’t think they’re going far enough”
But with one in ten working age that people claim benefits, and one in eight young people who are not in education, employment or training, the reforms on Tuesday can only be the beginning of greater changes – and potentially greater political battles.
The cost of long -term disease and disability benefits for people of the working age has risen by around £ 20bn since the pandemic has risen to around £ 48bn, and it is predicted to be nearly £ 100bn by 2030.
“People are trapped on benefits and the bill is getting out of hand,” said one government figure.
“We are currently spending more than three times the annual policing account on these benefits. It gets out of hand.
“I don’t think the reforms are going far enough, and I don’t think people clocked the size of the numbers here.”
