Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ sweeping cuts to welfare are incredibly concerning, more so for individuals living with a disability.
Change. It’s something we all fear and following Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Spring Statement we’re right to. The non budget was revealed yesterday (Wednesday 26th March) and was the 7th edition after the first one was delivered by ex-chancellor Phillip Hammond in 2018.
Photo by JD Mack/Openverse
This year’s ‘mini budget’ effectively confirmed what we’re all thinking: our country has very little money and will need to make major cuts that will severely affect the public purse. Part of this includes enormous welfare cuts – an announcement that came as a particular surprise considering Labour’s longstanding status that they’re a party working to help those less fortunate.
In a nutshell, Reeves confirmed the Government plan to limit the number of people who can access the personal independence payment (Pip). Going forward, people who can’t cook a meal for themselves or are unable to wash half of their body now won’t be eligible for the benefit unless they have another limiting condition.
To give context, just over 370,000 people who claim Pips are set to those them while another 430,000 who would’ve been able to claim the benefit in the future will not now be able to do so.
Meanwhile, incapacity benefits – which were already due to be slashed in half – will be frozen in cash terms until 2029-30, with the basic rate of universal credit also being cut in 2029.
According to Reeves, this decision was made to encourage people to get back into work and the Government will be pledging £1bn to create a scheme that ensures people do.
During the Spring Statement the Chancellor revealed that currently one in eight young people are out of education or full-time employment.
‘I am absolutely certain that our reforms, instead of pushing people into poverty, are going to get people into work,’ Reeves told Sky News. ‘And we know that if you move from welfare into work, you are much less likely to be in poverty.’
‘That is our ambition: making people better off, not making people worse, and also the welfare state will always be there for people who genuinely need it,’ she continued.
However, since the announcement, this optimistic tone hasn’t been echoed by many, including government backbenchers. Official analysis shows over three million households will feel the squeeze of the welfare cuts, with an additional 25,000 people falling into relative poverty within the next four years.
‘The Chancellor has chosen to double down on harmful benefits cuts, despite warnings this approach will push more disabled people into poverty and worsen people’s health,’ Charles Gillies, a senior policy officer at the Multiple Sclerosis Society explained. ‘People are wondering how they will continue to cover their basic living expenses and the extra costs of their disability – like visits from carers to help with things like washing, cooking and going to the toilet. The Government has a moral obligation to scrap these cuts before the real damage is done.’
Since the Spring Statement was announced yesterday, a vast number of charities have expressed their opinion. These can be found in full here.
Photo by JD Mack/Openverse
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