DWP warning to anyone claiming one benefit as major reform planned in 2025
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Labour’s much-anticipated reforms to sickness and disability benefits are on track to begin in early 2025. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is preparing to make significant changes. Downing Street has offered an update, confirming that the government will launch a consultation in Spring 2025.
The changes, which are central to Labour’s ‘Get Britain Working Again’ white paper, are part of the party’s commitment to tackle the current welfare system, which they say fails to promote employment for people with long-term illnesses and disabilities. Labour plans to reduce welfare spending by £3 billion over the next four years.
Speaking on the issue, the Prime Minister’s spokesperson said: “We have seen a situation this Government inherited on inactivity, we have seen the situation on the spiralling benefits bill with millions of people on long-term illness or disability out of work and not getting the support that they need, and that is why we are determined to fix this.".
“Building on our ‘Get Britain Working’ White Paper, we will be publishing a consultation in the spring on measures to ensure the system is better supporting people, including young people, to get them into work and keep them in work.”. The reforms are expected to bring changes to Personal Independence Payments (PIP), including an increase in the threshold for qualification, which would likely reduce the number of people eligible for the benefit. The DWP has also hinted at a revamp of the controversial Work Capability Assessment (WCA), a process used to assess eligibility for benefits. Under the previous Conservative government's plans, WCA reforms would have made it harder for people to qualify by changing the descriptors used in assessments.
