Starmer says cost of sickness benefits ‘devastating’
EPAPrime Minister Sir Kyle Stemmer said the rising costs of illness and disability benefits were “destructive”.
A comprehensive change was announced on Tuesday, which ministers said by 2030, aimed at saving £5 billion a year and encourage people to work while protecting those who cannot.
Sir Kyle said the current system “has caused a terrible human cost” and that those who want to return to work cannot get the support they need.
But the government’s reforms face criticism from Labor, trade unions and charities who fear that the changes will put more people with disabilities into poverty.
Thousands of people may be affected by welfare changes, which will make it harder for people with poorer conditions to ask for payments.
Sir Kyle wrote in the Times newspaper that the current system is “actively motivating” people to stay away from work and represents “an insult to our values.”
“It’s not only unfair to taxpayers,” he said. “For many, it’s also a bad long-term outcome.”
He noted that 2.8 million working-age people have lost their jobs due to the long-term illness, which is a “condemnation of conservative records” of welfare.
The Conservatives said in response to the administration’s announcement on Tuesday that the changes were “too few, too late” and needed to be “more difficult.”
Shadow Work and Pension Minister Helen Whately asked why the government only plans to save £5 billion a year, as health and disability benefits bills are expected to rise to £10 billion by fiscal year 2029/30.
The center of government reform is the tightening of eligibility standards Individual Independent Payment (PIP) – Designed to help people who increase their living costs due to disability or long-term illness.
The Resolution Foundation think tank estimates that under the change, more than one million people may lose the payment.
The government will also introduce a “right to try” guarantee, which will enable people to try their jobs without losing their welfare rights.
Reassessment that determine whether someone is still eligible for financial support will increase, but those with the worst health will never be reassessed.
Work and Pension Minister Liz Kendall told the BBC that reforms would make Britain’s social security system “long-term sustainable” but the overall income bill would still increase.
Health and disability-related welfare spending has surged since the Alliance pandemic, projected to increase from £65bn per year to £100bn in 2029.
Some object to the government’s recommendations due to concerns about the potential impact on vulnerable groups.
“These immoral and devastating benefits will put more people with disabilities in poverty and worsen people’s health,” said the Disability Welfare Consortium, which represents more than 100 charities and organizations.
The SNP said the measures would “damage the most vulnerable” and “sign the beginning of a new era of austerity”.
Debbie Abrahams, the chairman of the work and pensions for labor MPs, said there are “more compassionate” ways to balance books “rather than on the backs of the sick and the disabled.”
However, other Labour MPs have also accepted the government’s argument that what Kendall calls the more “pro-work” case is moral.
Several benefits of claimants Talk to the BBC After the announcement. Some welcome aspects of reform, while others express concern.
“If I hadn’t had pip, I would have burdened my family,” said Daisy, 22, in western West London.
