Starmer says cost of sickness benefits 'devastating'

The rising outgo of sickness and disablement benefits is "devastating" for the nationalist finances, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said, aft his authorities announced a large overhaul of the payment system.

Sweeping changes were unveiled connected Tuesday, which ministers accidental are aimed astatine redeeming £5bn a twelvemonth by 2030 and encouraging radical to work, portion protecting those who cannot.

Sir Keir said the existent strategy had "wreaked a unspeakable quality cost", with radical who wanted to instrumentality to enactment incapable to entree the enactment they needed.

But the government's reforms person faced disapproval from Labour backbenchers, unions and charities, who fearfulness the changes could propulsion much disabled radical into poverty.

Hundreds of thousands of radical are apt to beryllium affected by the payment changes, which volition marque it harder for radical with little terrible conditions to assertion disablement payments.

Writing successful the Times newspaper, Sir Keir said the existent strategy was "actively incentivising" radical distant from enactment and represented an "affront to the values of our country".

"This is not conscionable unfair to taxpayers," helium said. "It is besides a atrocious semipermanent result for galore of those people."

He pointed to the 2.8 cardinal moving property radical retired of enactment due to the fact that of semipermanent sickness, saying this was a "damning indictment of the Conservative record" connected welfare.

Responding to the government's announcement connected Tuesday, the Conservatives said the changes were "too little, excessively late" and needed to beryllium "tougher".

Shadow enactment and pensions caput Helen Whately asked wherefore the authorities was lone readying to prevention £5bn a year, erstwhile the yearly measure for wellness and disablement benefits was forecast to emergence to much than £100bn by the 2029/30 fiscal year.

Central to the government's reforms is simply a tightening of eligibility criteria for the personal independency outgo (Pip) - a payment aimed astatine helping those with accrued surviving costs owed to disablement oregon semipermanent illness.

More than 1 cardinal radical could suffer retired connected this outgo nether the changes, the Resolution Foundation deliberation vessel has estimated.

The authorities volition besides present a "right to try" guarantee, which volition let radical to effort retired moving without losing their entitlement to benefits if it goes wrong.

Reassessments to find whether idiosyncratic is inactive eligible for fiscal enactment volition increase, but those with the astir terrible wellness conditions volition ne'er beryllium reassessed.

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall told the BBC the reforms would marque the UK's societal information strategy "sustainable for the agelong term" but the wide benefits measure is inactive expected to rise.

Spending connected wellness and disability-related benefits has ballooned since the Covid pandemic, and has been forecast to summation from £65bn a twelvemonth presently to £100bn by 2029.

Some person spoken retired against the government's proposals amid fears of the imaginable interaction connected susceptible people.

The Disability Benefits Consortium, which represents much than 100 charities and organisations, said: "These immoral and devastating benefits cuts volition propulsion much disabled radical into poverty, and worsen people's health."

The SNP said the measures would "harm the astir vulnerable" and "mark the commencement of a caller epoch of austerity cuts".

Work and pensions prime committee seat Debbie Abrahams, a Labour MP, said determination were "more compassionate" ways to equilibrium the books "rather than connected the backmost of sick and disabled people".

But different Labour MPs person accepted the government's statement that determination is simply a motivation lawsuit for what Kendall has called a much "pro-work system".

Several benefits claimants spoke to the BBC aft the announcement. Some welcomed aspects of the reforms, portion others expressed concern.

"If I don't person Pip I'll beryllium a load to my family," said Daisy, 22, from westbound London.