What the government’s changes to benefits mean for disabled people

Our campaigns officer Steven explains the changes to disability benefits that the government announced this week and why they are deeply troubling.

On 18 March, Liz Kendall, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions outlined a raft of changes that, if they come in, would have a devastating impact on disabled people.

This is the wrong approach

At a time when disabled people are already disproportionately impacted by a cost of living crisis, as well as facing extra costs just because they are disabled, we need a system that supports disabled people. The Department of Work and Pensions’ own impact assessment says that these proposals would push 250,000 people into poverty.

Proposing draconian cuts is not the answer.

So what has been announced and what impact will these proposals have on disabled people like me?

At this stage, these are only proposals and may either not happen or be watered down. Any changes will only come in from 2026 at the earliest. It’s important that MPs hear directly from their constituents about this, and we’ve set up an action to help you write to your MP.

Eligibility for personal independence payments (PIP) would be tightened

PIP supports disabled people with the extra costs associated with having a disability. Life costs more if you’re disabled — from higher energy bills to accessible transport options — and PIP is there to offset some of these additional costs. PIP isn’t linked to whether you can work or not.

For example, I’m deafblind and autistic. I need to take taxis to travel about. I also use my PIP to pay for therapies that have helped with my physical and mental health, which also means I’ve been able to stay in work.

The government’s proposals relate to what’s called the daily living component of PIP – the bit that you get if you need extra help with day-to-day tasks other than getting around . The other part, the mobility component, won’t be affected.

From November 2026, it’s proposed that eligibility will be tightened for this, meaning fewer people will qualify at all, or will see their payments significantly reduced.

A lot of the conversation around this change has focussed on this particularly impacting people with mental health conditions. But given that it appears people applying will need to demonstrate extreme difficulty with daily living tasks, many other disabled people may be impacted. This will relate to anyone making their first claim, or people being reassessed.

Disabled people need more support with extra costs, not less

PIP is already incredibly difficult to claim. When I claimed PIP, it was a stressful, demeaning and inaccessible process. I had to complete a hugely long and detailed form going into all aspects of my daily life and how my disabilities impact me. I needed support to complete the paper form, which was inaccessible. I had to provide evidence to back everything up.

This made it a long, laborious process, as well as emotionally draining.

The idea therefore that eligibility should be tightened further is really concerning. Disabled people need more support with the extra costs of being disabled, not less.

One potentially positive announcement about PIP is that people with conditions that won’t change may no longer need to go through a reassessment process. Personally, I’d welcome this.

In my case, my disabilities aren’t going to improve so having to go through the reassessment process is pointless. The flip side to this measure is that people with fluctuating disabilities would experience more regular reassessments.

Universal Credit may be cut for people with limited capability to work

Universal Credit (or UC) is a payment to help people with living costs. People may be able to get it if they are on low incomes, out of work or unable to work.

The government has proposed that some disabled people who are assessed as not being able to work – in a group called LCWRA – may see a cut of almost £50 a week in the amount of UC they receive, once they are next reassessed. In the meantime, the support offered to people in this group will not go up in line with rising costs.

The government has said that those with the most severe lifelong conditions, with no prospect of being able to work, could have their incomes protected. But we don’t know yet how this will work.

The government also plans to stop people from claiming the extra money for those in the LCWRA group until they turn 22, meaning young disabled people could lose even more financial support in the future.

Everyone who is able and wants to access further education or work should be able to. But for some people, work simply isn’t an option. Reducing young people’s benefits won’t change this—it’ll simply push more people into poverty.

At the same time, the basic rate of Universal Credit – the amount that everyone on UC gets – will be increased slightly. This might absorb some of the impact of the cuts for those unable to work but it nowhere near makes up for it.

These changes won’t happen immediately, and some people might not be affected until they are next reassessed.

There’ll be more investment in giving people support to work

The government will, it says, invest some of the money saved into providing additional support to get more disabled people into work.

One example of this is an option to try a job without the fear of losing benefits if the job isn’t right for them. If disabled people are given the right support to access this, we’d welcome it. But employers are often unwilling to employ disabled people and coupled with delays in the Access to Work system, the government-funded programme offering support for disabled people in work, I’m unsure how effective this will be in supporting disabled people into work.

This is deeply unsettling

This is a deeply unsettling time for disabled people many of whom are already struggling to make ends meet.

However, it’s important to note that not everyone will be affected, and it will take time for this all to come into effect.