Welfare System in Crisis: A Call for Compassion and Sustainability.
The UK's welfare system is broken, failing those it was designed to protect and trapping millions in dependency. We inherited a system that incentivizes individuals to classify themselves as incapable of work, simply to afford to live. This has led to a staggering 2.8 million people out of work due to long-term sickness, with disability benefit claims set to more than double this decade. Personal Independence Payment (PIP) awards are increasing at twice the rate of the prevalence of disabled people, adding 1,000 new PIP awards every single day – the equivalent of adding a city the size of Leicester to the claimant count annually. This is simply not sustainable.
Our reforms are rooted in core principles: compassion for those who need help most, a belief in equality and social justice where everyone has the chance to fulfill their potential, and responsibility to ensure the welfare state is sustainable for generations. There is nothing compassionate about leaving millions who could work without the support they need, nor is there social justice when 9 million citizens are out of work and our country has one of Europe's widest disability employment gaps.
Under this government, we face a new reality: 3,000 people move onto incapacity benefits every working day, a 50% increase since the last government left office. While the previous Conservative government saw unemployment reduced to near-record lows and created 800 jobs daily, the current administration has seen unemployment rise every single month.
The proposed bill is deeply concerning. It risks pushing 150,000 people further into poverty and creates a two-tier, possibly three-tier, benefit system where disabled people are predicted to lose an average of £4,500 per year, despite already needing an extra £1,095 per month to achieve the same standard of living as non-disabled households. It is morally unacceptable, and we question the legality, of treating people with the same conditions and circumstances differently within the benefit system.
Significantly, 138 organizations representing disabled people are against this bill, and not a single one has come out in support. There has been no formal consultation with disabled people, crucial employment support will not be in place until the end of the decade, and access to work remains woefully inadequate. We are being asked to vote blind, without a new bill, updated explanatory notes, or a fully updated impact assessment.
We urge Members of Parliament to reconsider this legislation. Loyalty to party should not override the deep conscience required to protect our most vulnerable citizens. The tragic lessons from 2015, where hundreds lost their lives under brutal reforms, must serve as a stark warning. We must treat these precious people with dignity, ensuring they matter for being, not just doing. It is time to withdraw this bill, consult properly, co-produce solutions, and incorporate the findings of the Mayfield and TIMS reviews to create a welfare safety net that truly survives and is always there for those who need it.
