Backlash Leads to Abandonment of Freeze on Disability Benefits
A crackdown on benefits is set to be softened despite a senior Cabinet Minister's warning that the system is unsustainable. A freeze on some disability benefits will be abandoned following backlash by Labour MPs when welfare reforms are announced.
Concerns Raised About Proposed Cuts
Deputy PM Angela Rayner and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband raised concerns about the proposed £5 billion cuts. Health Secretary Wes Streeting highlighted that 1,000 people apply daily for Personal Independence Payments, making the system unsustainable and at risk of losing public support.
Reform Needed for Sustainability
Streeting emphasized the need to reform the system to ensure it remains a safety net and a springboard back to work for those who can and want to work. Speculation suggests that the main benefit for working-age adults, PIP, could be frozen, affecting 3.6 million people.
Plans for Eligibility Rules and Incapacity Benefit
Eligibility rules for PIP may be toughened, and Welfare Secretary Liz Kendall is expected to unveil plans that include cutting the top rate of incapacity benefit, which is currently double that of job-seekers.
Concerns Over Mental Health Treatment
Streeting also expressed concerns about the handling of mental health conditions, highlighting the spectrum of mental wellbeing and illness. He noted that while there may be overdiagnosis, many individuals are being unfairly written off.
