Latest news with #TakingThePIP
The Independent
26-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
If Labour cuts my PIP, I lose everything I have worked for
It's been a horrific few weeks – few months – for disabled people, with the never-ending uncertainty around the Labour government's disability benefit cuts making our community scared for our lives. The government claims their welfare reforms are to help support disabled people into work, but they're ignoring the fact that many disabled people can only work because of the benefits they receive – and I'm one of them. I live with a wide range of conditions including lupus, endometriosis, arthritis, migraines and dyspraxia, the toll these have on my body means that my disability mostly manifests through lack of energy and cognitive function. I would never be able to work a full time job or one with a strict schedule, as I can only work for a few hours at a time before I can't look at a screen anymore. I mostly work from bed as that's where I'm most comfortable. However, I've still managed to build a pretty successful career as a writer. With my limited energy and time, I've also helped shape the Taking the PIP campaign, which has brought together more than 130 well-known disabled people to urge the prime minister to stop the cruel cuts to benefits. But the harsh reality is that if these cuts are approved next week, with a second reading vote on the welfare reform bill, I will lose everything I have. I receive £558 a month in PIP. I also receive Universal Credit, the amount of which changes every month because I have to input my earnings, but is roughly around £400 a month. At a time when I only have the energy to work one or two hours a week, it means that I'm not working myself to the bone in order to be able to afford to live and can still afford my bills. Currently, you have to score 8 points to qualify for the daily living component of PIP. But if the eligibility changes come in, you will also have to score at least 4 points in one activity – these involving your ability to cook and clean, socialise and maintain good hygiene. On my last assessment, the highest I scored on all activities was 2. Due to my depression and neurodivergent conditions, I've made myself ill in the past with bad hygiene. I have to be reminded or pushed to keep myself clean. When I'm in deep depressive episodes, I will go days, or sometimes even weeks, without changing my clothes or washing myself. It's unsafe for me to do certain things in the kitchen as I sometimes lack control of my hands. I enjoy cooking, but often cut or burn myself and struggle to use many kitchen utensils. My cognitive and mental health conditions also mean I put housework at the bottom of the list, and prioritise just keeping myself alive. Only this week, I had to deep-clean my house – with the support of friends – after I discovered a fly infestation. But I make allowances so that I can live a good, independent life. I have apps that remind me to clean and eat, I buy pre-sliced food or mostly rely on ready meals. I live in social housing, in an accessible bungalow, so I can move around it safely without fear that I will put myself in danger. I live five minutes from my parents, who are on hand to help with housework. But if Labour's cuts to PIP go through, I won't be able to afford to continue living my lovely little life. I will be forced to find a job that will push me mentally and physically to breaking point. If I lose my PIP, I genuinely can't guarantee I'll still be here in five years time. And I'm far from the only one. Under Labour plans, more than 3.2 million people will see their benefits cut, pushing around 8,000 people into poverty or even absolute poverty, which is defined by the UN as 'a condition characterised by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information. It depends not only on income but also on access to services.' More than 280,000 PIP claimants who are already in work would lose their support – and, as a result, could lose their jobs. In return, just 1-3 per cent of those affected will be able to move into work. While many working people will be affected, those who can't work will also be hard hit. Where I agree with the government is that the welfare system does need reform, but only to make it more compassionate and less inhumane. Starmer says the welfare system 'doesn't work for anyone', and that it's 'counterproductive' and 'works against them getting into work'. It is all well and good the government saying they want to support people into work – but when they're also quietly cutting Access to Work entitlement, their actions don't show it. I hear every single day from scared disabled people who have no idea how they'll survive if these cuts go through. The government can claim this is a cost-cutting measure all they want, but the reality is that the very real cost will be that of disabled people's lives. Is that really a debt politicians want on their hands? * Rachel Charlton-Dailey is a journalist and disability rights campaigner who is part of the 'Taking the PIP' campaign
The Guardian
27-05-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Labour is taking the Pip – and disabled people have had enough
Why have so many deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent public figures pulled together to launch the campaign #TakingThePIP? Every area of life as a disabled person is difficult – employment, social situations, healthcare, education, transport and by far the most pervasive and arduous: other people's attitudes. Everything is a fight, but this feels like a fight too far. If Labour goes ahead with its proposed benefits cuts to tighten the eligibility criteria for personal independence payment (Pip) and reduce or lose the health element of universal credit, many people in my community don't know how they will survive. Make no bones about it: this could be a matter of life and death for some people. I am in tears reading the stories of what might happen if these further cuts, after years of austerity, go ahead. People who are currently choosing between using their electricity for breathing equipment or charging their wheelchair will no longer be able to afford either. People who need encouragement to eat will be left alone; people with mental health illnesses will be severely impacted, losing so much of their support alongside those people who are unable to wash or dress their lower body. Overall, households could lose up to 58% of their income, and these are the households already in poverty. Already in the last six years, homelessness among disabled families has risen by 75%. Three-quarters of food bank users have at least one disabled household member. What's going to happen when people can't use their Pip or the health component of their universal credit to top up their rent and bills? These disability benefits are crucial support that help towards the extra costs incurred with a disability or long-term health condition. Today I learned about a young woman with cerebral palsy whose family had been evicted. The temporary accommodation provided to them was not accessible, forcing her to use the toilet at the local bus station as her bathroom. This is the reality before the proposed funding cuts. Accessible housing is already rare; accessible emergency housing is almost nonexistent. Disabled people are routinely left out of planning decisions. We're not considered in everyday policies, let alone in times of crisis. Did you know that the last round of cuts stripped people of their basic right to full care? Many lost vital support, including help simply to use the toilet. In some cases, individuals who are not incontinent have been forced to rely on incontinence pads because there is no longer enough staffing or time allocated to assist them properly. Care packages were reduced to as little as six 15-minute visits a day, barely enough time to support someone with eating, washing or using the bathroom, never mind living their life. Evening and morning care were cut so severely that many adults can no longer choose when they go to bed or get up. Essential support for tasks such as food shopping or cleaning was also removed entirely. The government and the headlines keep focusing on getting disabled people 'back to work', yet the existing scheme to support disabled people in employment is broken. Access to Work already has nearly a year's waiting list for new applicants, and, according to leaks, the support worker element may be cut next. Only last week, the wonderful Jess Thom, the co-artistic director of Touretteshero, had her support cut by 61% by Access To Work. Those of us who can work want to work. Many people use Pip and universal credit to top up expenses that come alongside working. Some disabled people can only work part-time, and the benefits bridge this gap. These proposed cuts won't save money; they'll lead to greater costs from the resulting damage, along with widespread distress and suffering. Did you know that the fraud level for Pip remains less than 1% and that 46% of applications are refused – with a shocking 70% of those refusals that go to appeal being overturned. It's a gruelling system to navigate. There are 16 million disabled people in the UK – not even a quarter of those people currently receive Pip, and the ones who do are the most in need. We as a society need to stand together on this and demand that the government stop taking the Pip. Cherylee Houston MBE played Izzy Armstrong on Coronation Street and Tinsel Girl on BBC Radio 4. She is the founder of TripleC
