New reports of ‘tweaks' to planned DWP welfare reforms due to start next year
Sir Keir Starmer is said to be seeking to soften the blow of welfare cuts as he faces a growing threat of a backbench rebellion.
People on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) could be given more time to get help and support before planned changes to the welfare system are introduced by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) next year, according to new reports.
The Sunday Times reported that Sir Keir Starmer is said to be considering 'tweaks' to welfare cuts planned by his Labour Government. It said the Prime Minister is seeking to soften the blow as he faces the growing threat of a backbench rebellion over the package of measures, which ministers hope will save the public purse £5 billion a year.
People on PIP and Universal Credit could be given longer 'transitional periods' to seek out other benefits if they lose out as a result of the reforms, according to the Times.
A backbench rebellion over the proposals, which would tighten eligibility for the daily living component of PIP as part of a package aimed at getting more working age people currently on benefits into jobs, could spread to more than 100 MPs, some reports have suggested.
Peter Lamb, the Labour MP for Crawley, is the latest to publicly state he would vote against the plan.
He told BBC Radio 4's Westminster Hour he would be 'voting against anything which is going to restrict access to PIP further than it's currently restricted'.
He also said many Labour MPs across different wings of the party are 'deeply uncomfortable' with what ministers are planning.
Labour backbenchers have already secured a partial U-turn from Sir Keir over the Winter Fuel Payment cuts.
A change of direction on Winter Fuel Payments was announced during PMQs in the Commons last week, though details of when and how more pensioners might get the payment were not revealed.
However, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner indicated on Sunday an announcement could come next month.
Ms Rayner suggested the Spending Review on June 11 was the 'first opportunity' to make the change.
She told Sky News: 'I mean, the Prime Minister has announced it, so logically to me that indicates that the Prime Minister wants to do something in this area.
'And if the Prime Minister wants to do that, I'm sure the Chancellor is going to look at how we can achieve that.'
Elsewhere, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is expected this week to commit to restoring the Winter Fuel Payment in full.
Summary of proposed benefits changes
Universal Credit
The latest statistics show there were 7.57 million people on Universal Credit, a means-tested incapacity benefit, in Great Britain as of February. It is aimed at helping people on a low income or those who are out of work.
The UK Government said it will introduce an above-inflation rise to the standard Universal Credit allowance by 2029/30 - adding £775 in cash terms annually. But the health element allowance will be almost halved for new claimants from April next year while those already claiming will have their amount frozen until 2029/2030.
The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) is to be scrapped in 2028, having been described by Liz Kendall as 'complex, time consuming and often stressful for claimants'.
The UK Government said it will legislate for a so-called 'right to try', which will allow people to try work without the fear their benefits will automatically be put at risk.
The Government said it will consult on delaying access to the Universal Credit health element until someone is aged 22. The latest figures showed there were 109,436 people aged 16 to 21 on Universal Credit health in December 2024.
PIP
Nearly 3.7 million claimants in England and Wales were entitled to PIP as of the end of January, the latest figures showed - up 71 per cent on the equivalent figure five years earlier when it stood at 2.14 million.
The payment is aimed at helping with some of the extra costs caused by long-term disability and ill health and is not dependent on whether someone is working or not.
Some people will lose their PIP entitlement, the UK Government said, as the process to qualify is tightened in an effort to focus the disability benefit on 'those with higher needs'.
The UK Government said it will bring in a new eligibility requirement for a minimum score of at least four points regarding how much help the person needs with everyday tasks on the daily living element of the benefit.
No change is being proposed for the mobility element, which looks at how much help someone needs in getting around.
The UK Government confirmed the change 'means that people who only score the lowest points on each of the PIP daily living activities will lose their entitlement in future'.
The UK Government also committed to not putting Universal Credit claimants who have the most severe disabilities and health conditions that will never improve through the ordeal of being reassessed for benefits 'to give them the confidence and dignity they deserve'.
However the UK Government said it plans to increase the number of face-to-face assessments in PIP and under the current Work Capability Assessment in a bid to 'give confidence to claimants and taxpayers that they're being done properly'.
The UK Government said it will also consult on raising the age at which people can claim PIP from 16 to 18.
Online consultation
The DWP has published the 'Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working' consultation online at GOV.UK.
The consultation is seeking views on the approaches the UK Government should consider around reform of the health and disability benefits system and employment support.
The consultation on GOV.UK states: 'This Green Paper is an important staging post on a journey of reform, building on the vision and approach set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper in November 2024. It sets out our vision, strategy and proposals for change.'
It continues: 'We want to improve and refine our plans by consulting on certain measures as described within this paper. We are committed to putting the views and voices of disabled people and people with health conditions at the heart of everything we do.'
Who can complete the consultation?
The DWP is encouraging a 'wide group' of people to share their views 'in particular disabled people and people with health conditions and disability organisations'.
This consultation applies to England, Wales and Scotland.
All the proposals apply in England, but it's important to be aware that the proposals will only apply to the UK Government's areas of responsibility in England, Wales and Scotland.
To complete the consultation, scroll to the bottom of the page here where it says 'Ways to respond'. The consultation will close on June 30, 2025.
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