The Government is set to release an impact assessment revealing how many people will be affected by its £5 billion welfare cuts, as charities and health experts issue stark warnings about the potential consequences for vulnerable individuals.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has defended the reforms, calling the current welfare system “morally indefensible” and arguing that the changes will help those who can work to secure employment. However, the announcement has been met with strong opposition from charities, medical professionals, and even some Labour MPs, who fear the cuts could lead to severe hardship – and even deaths.
Criticism from charities and Labour MPs
One of the most vocal critics is Diane Abbott, a veteran Labour MP, who accused the Treasury of attempting to “balance the country’s books on the back of the most vulnerable and poor people in this society.”
At the heart of the controversy are two major policy changes:
- Stricter eligibility for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), the main disability benefit.
- Cuts to the health element of Universal Credit (UC), which supports those unable to work due to illness or disability.
According to estimates from the Resolution Foundation think tank, between 800,000 and 1.2 million people in England and Wales could lose between £4,200 and £6,300 annually by the end of the decade.
An official impact assessment on these changes will be published on Wednesday, coinciding with Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ spring statement.
Surge in calls to mental health and disability charities
Since the welfare reform announcement last week, several charities have reported a sharp rise in distress calls.
- Mental health charity Mind recorded a 100% increase in calls to its welfare advice line, rising from 90 to 182 in a single week.
- Other helplines run by Mind received 2,540 calls, marking a 10% increase from the previous week.
- Scope, a leading disability charity, saw calls to its helpline more than double from 118 to 344 on the day of the announcement.
- Citizens Advice reported that views of its PIP advice pages soared to almost 80,000, a 44% increase from the previous week.
Mind’s helpline advisers warned that some callers expressed suicidal thoughts over fears of losing their benefits. Scope said disabled people felt “abandoned by the Government”, with many unsure how they will afford basic necessities if the cuts go ahead.
Health experts warn of premature deaths
A group of public health experts, writing in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), warned that further cuts to social security could increase mortality rates.
Professor Gerry McCartney, a specialist in wellbeing economy at the University of Glasgow, stated:
“There is now substantial evidence that cuts to social security since 2010 have fundamentally harmed the health of the UK population. Implementing yet more cuts will therefore result in more premature deaths.”
He urged the Government to reconsider its approach, arguing that financial insecurity leads to worsening mental and physical health, increased homelessness, and greater strain on the NHS.
Government defends the reforms
Despite the backlash, the Government maintains that the welfare cuts will not leave genuinely disabled individuals without support. Ministers have pledged to invest an additional £1 billion per year by 2029/30 to help people into work, including:
- One-to-one support for job seekers with health conditions.
- Scrapping repeat benefits reassessments for disabled individuals who will never be able to work.
A Government spokesperson stated:
“Our welfare reforms are designed to ensure that those who can work receive the support they need to enter employment while continuing to protect those who are genuinely unable to do so.”
However, critics argue that the financial assistance being removed far outweighs the new support being offered.
Uncertain future for the reforms
With the impact assessment due this week and the spring statement set to outline broader economic policies, Labour may face increasing pressure from within its own ranks to soften the reforms.
The coming weeks will likely see further debates in Parliament, as charities, MPs, and medical professionals continue their fight against the cuts, warning of potentially devastating consequences for society’s most vulnerable.
