A survey for the More in Common non-profit organisation has found that the majority of the public do not support the proposed cuts to personal independence payment (PIP) and believe cost cutting, not getting people back into work, is the main reason for welfare reform.

According to the poll, only 31% of Britons feel that the Government is trying to limit the impact of cuts on vulnerable groups, while 20% think that it is not trying, and 36% think that the Government has actively chosen to target certain vulnerable groups.

54% believe that the cuts to benefits are about saving money with only 32% considering that they are about getting people back into work.

44% of all Britons think that welfare reforms are too harsh, 28% think they are about right and only 10% think they are too soft.  If Labour hope that their welfare cuts will play especially well with Reform voters, they might be disappointed to learn that 41% of Reform voters think they are too harsh, compared to 42% of Labour voters.

When asked about specific PIP descriptors, the public disagree with Labour’s 4 point system.

74% of Britons believe that needing assistance to wash below the waist should automatically qualify someone for disability-related benefits; 72% say the same about needing help to dress their lower body; 70% say the same about needing assistance to get out of the bath or shower.

None of these are 4 point descriptors, so none of them would allow access to the daily living component of PIP.

43% of Britons think that the benefits cuts make Labour appear mean-spirited.

34% of Britons say they know someone on disability benefits and 36% of people who know someone say the proposed reforms have decreased their trust in the Labour Party to manage public finances safely, 36% say it has made no difference and only 15% say the reforms have increased their trust.

Even amongst all Britons, not just those who know a claimant, 30% say the reforms have decreased their trust and only 15% say they have increased their trust.

So, it would seem that in spite of all the bile and hatred below the line on many media websites, the public are less than enthusiastic about benefits cuts - especially for disabled claimants.

You can see a detailed breakdown of the More in Common survey here.

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  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 4 hours ago
    As advised in a separate B&W news article, I have emailed the All Party Parliamentary Groups for Health, Carers, Debt and Financial Inclusion, Genetic, Rare and Undiagnosed Conditions and Poverty & Inequality, as follows:

    Dear [Name of Public Enquiry Point Contact]

    I am contacting you as the public enquiry contact for the [Name of Group] All Party Parliamentary Group, to raise my alarm and distress at the green paper proposals on welfare reform. I would be grateful if you would share this email with all members of the group.

    These proposals will plunge families like ours into poverty, and we will not be able to ameliorate our circumstances through work. Under these proposals, our household is likely to lose around £900 per month, comprised of LCWRA, PIP daily living and Carer’s Element of UC.

    My husband, who has Myotonic Dystrophy, a progressive neurological disease, has significant daytime fatigue, frequent falls and swallowing difficulties, among other symptoms. Under PIP proposals he would be likely deemed ineligible for PIP Daily Living, as he would not currently score 4 points in one category. My husband is unemployable, due to the significant risk of choking or falling, as well as his daytime fatigue.

    I work part-time in a relatively low-paid NHS administrative job. As I have to care for my husband, I am unable to work full-time. I have calculated that if I were successful in gaining a more senior NHS role our financial position would be improved by £12 per month in the first year, and our total income would in fact drop by £300 per month in the third year.

    We are bringing up two daughters.

    The government has repeatedly said they are ‘putting disabled people at the heart’ of everything they do. But these proposals are only pulling the rug from under us, leaving us with nowhere to turn and nothing we can do to improve our financial outlook. No amount of support from a work coach will make my husband employable. What is more, we cannot even have our say, as the most important elements of the changes are not being consulted on.

    Family carers are doing a job that Social Care is unable to in these times, but these proposals are making that job near impossible to do.

    The headline loss average of £1700 per year does not apply to my family. The loss would be far greater and I do not see how we would manage at all.

    I implore you to see that these proposals are draconian, that they are discriminatory against the long-term sick and disabled, and that they will cause devastation for families like us. I respectfully ask that you use your influence to oppose these changes.

    Yours sincerely,
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 6 hours ago
    It's not just the pip cuts either..those of us who are on UC/LCWRA are gonna be really stuffed as and or when those conditions brought in, I just wish they'd leave us alone.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 7 hours ago
    37% of the people on Universal Credit were in employment in December 2024. Universal Credit is available to people on a low income as well as those who are out of work. These statistics define an individual as in employment if they receive employee earnings for the assessment period which includes the count date.18 Feb 2025
    Universal Credit statistics, 29 April 2013 to 9 January 2025

    so nearly 40% of claimants for UC are getting wages and UC? Why is this appalling figure not being spoken about by Govt, national press or the public, that don't even know. Even if all the sick, ill and disabled people in the UK tomorrow miraculously became fit for work they would STILL HAVE TO CLAIM UNIVERSAL CREDIT!
    The system is not broken...your government is!
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 7 hours ago
    I emailed my mp,she supports it,dressed up response about people needing to get back to work,well she's not getting my vote,if your mp is Jo platt  don't bother!!
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 8 hours ago
    Spoke to a lady today who has previously taken the DWP to court and she said what the government are proposing in the welfare changes will never get through the courts.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 12 hours ago
    And while I'm here, let's not forget that doing away with social security opens up a multi-£bn private insurance market, plenty of gravy for everyone involved, politicians, the media, everyone. That's all this is about. Greed.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 6 hours ago
      @billkruse I happen to work for a respectable insurance company.  The problem is insurance is that it based on risk.  Those with long term medical conditions who may need more medical treatment, or are likely to find gaining employment much more difficult, are either going to have to pay much higher premiums (which they are unlikely to able to afford) or their applications will be declined.

      If we are going to go down the social insurance model, then the State will have to be insurer of last resort. I can't see any Government wanting to do this due to the cost of administration, claims etc.....nor do I think a health insurance based health service will ever survived the wrath of the electorate. Even in the USA there has been great criticism of United Healthcare...
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 9 hours ago
      @billkruse Always has been.  They don’t car about how it will affect us the disabled 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 12 hours ago
    Sad 54% of the participants think that govt needs to or can save money in a fiat economy. Education in these matters would put so much of this nonsense behind us.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 6 hours ago
      @billkruse It isn't 54% that think necessarily that they (the government) need to or can save money, it is 54% that think cost cutting IS the reason for this policy NOT reform. I agree with them that this is less about reform and far more about cutting a budget, whether that actually happens or not is debatable but we are going to be the casualties. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 13 hours ago
    Cutting/removing pip will decrease work participation and increase costs to national health and local councils.  

  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 18 hours ago
    I can't fit myself into More in commons seven categories, does this skew their work? are they a bit elitist? 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 23 hours ago
    Glad to see a lot of people haven’t fallen for their whole ‘we just want to help people into work!’ gimmick. 

    It’s almost like people are not stupid and if
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 23 hours ago
    Labour's own polling from this More in Common poll has them on 21%, they're down 13% from the last election and Starmer/Reeves are very unpopular, the problem is the Tories have Badenoch/Stride and Reform has Farage/Tice, all six of them aren't my cup of tea at all, it's hobson's choice.

    This is heartening for me because for a long while now the more conservative leaning press have done attack line after attack line about how much the disabled cost the taxpayers, I'm happy that the public sees through the lies and propaganda. 


  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    This is the reply from my MP:

    Dear ...................

    I do not agree with the Government making savings by cutting welfare support, and I share the serious concerns of campaigners regarding Government plans to reform disability benefits.  

    For this reason, in a debate on Parliament on 4th November 2024, I said: 

    "The commitment to delivering the previously planned savings is more than alarming. The truth is that the way disabled people have been treated by the Department for Work and Pensions since 2010 will go down in history as a terrible and inexcusable crime. There is extensive evidence about the serious harm caused to people subjected to dehumanising assessments and sanctions, including reports of deaths directly related to the social security regime. We need a long-term overhaul of the social security system. It is not fit for purpose. I urge the Government to really look at that in detail going forward.” 

    I understand that under one option reportedly being considered, the Universal Credit (UC) “limited capability for work or work-related activity” category would be abolished, which would require often severely disabled or ill people to make preparations for work. That could see claimants lose about £5,000 a year.

    It has also been widely reported that Ministers intend to scrap the work capability assessment used to approve incapacity benefits and align the system more closely with assessments for personal independence payments (PIP), separate disability benefits that are paid whether or not someone can work.

    In January and April 2024, in support of PIP, I signed numerous Parliamentary motions (#EDM 309; #EDM 678) raising concerns about delays in PIP processing times and calling on the Government to review PIP with the aim of reducing these, while making the system easier and less stressful for claimants.
    (https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/61799).
    (https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/62177).

    I am aware that in January 2025, a high court judge found that an official consultation regarding changes to the WCA was ruled unlawful, following a legal challenge by disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) campaigner Ellen Clifford. The high court said the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) had presented UK-wide incapacity benefit assessment reforms as a way to support disabled people into work without making clear the “primary rationale” of the proposals was cost savings.

    The consultation, which was carried out by the previous Government in Autumn 2023, failed to mention that 424,000 disabled people would see their benefits cut, many losing £416 a month, the judge found.

    I am conscious that documents released to the court also revealed that internal DWP estimates suggested the reforms to the WCA would push 100,000 highly vulnerable disabled people into absolute poverty.

    I do not agree with making welfare savings by cutting welfare support.

    I am only too aware that 14 years of austerity has had a brutal impact on the lives of many disabled people. Research by the Trussell Trust suggests that most food bank users now live in households where somebody is disabled.

    I would have liked the new Government to use the Autumn Budget 2024 to ensure that our social security system works for everyone when they need it.

    It has therefore been clear to me that for many years that the current social security system is not fit for purpose and in many cases actively damaging.

    I note the high proportion of Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) decisions that are overturned at tribunal and am all too conscious that each of the many thousands of incorrect decisions about what support a disabled person should be getting causes real suffering to that person and to their family and friends. There is extensive evidence about the serious harm caused to people subjected to dehumanising assessments and sanctions – and that there are reports of deaths directly related to the social security regime. I support the growing calls for a full transparent independent inquiry into these deaths and for all the information to be released to the public accordingly.

    That is why, in December 2024 and February 2025, I tabled questions asking about whether a public enquiry would be conducted into the deaths and serious harms arising out of the social security system.
    (https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-12-16/20272)
    (https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-02-26/33991)

    I have also tabled multiple written questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, enquiring into the assessment process for PIP and mandatory reconsideration request data. You can find their answers here.
    (https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2022-03-31/151298)
    (https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2022-03-31/151297)
    (https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2022-03-31/151296).

    I have tabled numerous questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, enquiring into the impact social security reforms have had on vulnerable communities (https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2024-12-16/20273).

    I strongly believe that it should be the new Government’s priority to address these wrongs.

    It is my view that protecting access to benefits ensures that society maintains a basic standard of living for everyone.

    You can see another one my spoken contributions in Parliament, from February 2022, in support of the need for a social security system that provides a safety net for people with disabilities.
    (https://x.com/ApsanaBegumMP/status/1900889599058047474)

    I can confirm that a member of my staff was able to attend the Scope Parliamentary event on 2nd April 2025 where they were able to gather information about the financial impacts of disability cuts and changes, and listen to the stories of disabled people affected.

    I pay tribute to disabled activists – such as of Z2K, Black Triangle, WOW campaign, disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC), and others – who have spent years campaigning for disabled people’s rights.

    Thank you again for raising this important issue with me.

    Yours sincerely, 

    ...............
    .........................

    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 3 hours ago
      @Scorpion Not a single one of those links worked!
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 3 hours ago
      @Scorpion I emailed my mp,they sent me back an email addressed to my husband not myself ( my name on the letter not his)which is insulting I'm itself, she supports getting people back to work,that's basically it,!!
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 4 hours ago
      @Scorpion Hi, who is your MP please? None of the links work. It may be a good idea to reply and let them know perhaps? I'm impressed at their reply, but broken links don't look the best for them unfortunately.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 5 hours ago
      @Scorpion
      I applaud your MP!!!

      I unfortunately, from previously a great MP in opposition, recieved this very depressing e-mail, ideed...

      Dear .......,

      Thank you for your email. I understand the concerns you have raised regarding changes to disability welfare. I want to be clear that the Government’s plans will not result in any immediate changes to anyone’s benefits.

      These reforms have been designed to protect those who need support most and I welcome that those with lifelong health conditions, who will never be able to work, will no longer face future reassessments.

      These people will be eligible for a new Universal Credit premium, giving them the financial security they deserve. Existing claimants will also have their health top-up protected, and it is right that Personal Independence Payments will continue to rise with inflation.

      I was elected on a pledge to put the voices of disabled people at the heart of policy. I stand by that. The Government’s plans were developed through engagement with disabled people and a public consultation has been launched to guide the reforms going forward. I urge any disabled person or representative organisation to contribute their views to this.

      I want to see a social security system that gets decisions right the first time and focuses on what people can do, not just what they cannot. That is why I welcome the Pathways to Work plan, which includes a record £1 billion investment in tailored employment support for disabled people. This comes alongside efforts to break down barriers to work and create healthier, more inclusive workplaces. Disabled people deserve the same opportunities as anybody else.

      The plan will also tackle the perverse incentives of our welfare system. It will increase the UC standard allowance above inflation for the first time, adding £775 per year by 2029. Crucially, the "Right to Try" guarantee will ensure going back to work itself will never lead to a reassessment, giving people the confidence to take on new opportunities.

      The broken Work Capability Assessment will be scrapped. This will simplify the process for attaining health-related benefits into one single assessment and end binary categorisations of can and cannot work, helping people who can work to access support to do so.

      I am confident that these changes will enable disabled people to live with dignity, while making sure the welfare system is sustainable in the long term. This is essential, above all, for the people who depend on it.

      Thank you once again for contacting me about this issue.

      Yours sincerely,

      ........ MP
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 5 hours ago
      @Scorpion That’s fantastic that you have a supportive mp scorpion.
      Mine isn’t and I find him intimidating. He is very shouty.
      He has been one of the ppl being very vocal about supporting cuts, the usual railroading arguments.
      A friend of mine died within three months of the first wave of austerity cuts, directly related to them. He was diabetic and died after going into a coma. The local community centre had been closed down, so noone knew he wasn’t coping because our support network was disbanded. There was nowhere for us to go. He wasn’t found for three weeks.
      This people of this country are not heartless souls, generally, and I don’t t think this government is giving them the credit they deserve.
      Anyway, I hope you are all doing ok. Often it is the lack of social spaces for us, I think. I have about twenty hours of human contact a year. It’s been like that for about eight years now. And they think we can suddenly perk up and get a job from the magic job…
      All the best to you.  At least we have our souls intact. I would rather that than be them.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    It annoys me intensely that pip is so much now in the conversation about work.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    Oh that comment was cut short..
    When we are bombarded with constant changes beyond our control. It's a witch hunt,and sadly WE are the accused.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    I wish the general public knew the pain and suffering in our hearts, the physical and mental pain that comes with fighting and fighting the system. The hardship and worry on top of our already fragile health that spirals us down further,that adds to the pressure and exacerbates our terrible health and disabilities. How do we ever even try to get better when we are bombarded with constant changes beyond our control. It's a witch hunt. And sadly we are the accused.

  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    Only 43% ? I find that to be on the low side, i''m sure it in reality is higher.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    Benefits and work - can I forward this to my obstinate MP?
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    I’m glad that for once, this is getting coverage - all the cuts the last 10 years all that stress, it felt like no one cared. But the more noise we make the better. 

    These cuts will kill and cause unimaginable suffering. Labour “for the many, not the few” seem to have forgotten their own catchphrase. 

    On top of that, they won’t get more people into work and they won’t save money - just raise bills for the NHS etc. 

    I suppose I was naive to believe that Labour would actually help us - 10 years of suffering and Labour come along, say nothing to ease fears for the better part of a year - then announce cuts that are openly discriminatory - affecting the human rights of so many, it’s difficult not to feel worthless right now. But I’ll fight these to my last breath, and that may just be what it costs - I can’t see how I’ll survive this. 

    (I have chronic pain that could kill me, and I’m on higher daily and standard mobility - I score no more than 2 points on any task for daily)
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    Thanks Benefits and Work team!

    The kind of people expressing hatred online are the same types who don't listen to, or believe in facts. They are unreasonable and irrational tur*s.

    Don't let their comments get you down folks. The public is with us!
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 5 hours ago
      @Anon I have found the most vocal people who express hatred online are usually in small minority. A lot of people would have empathy towards the "disabled", whether physically or mentally. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 1 days ago
    Has anybody recently recieved their pip uprating letters yet? How many working days do they normally take? My appointee had to call up to chase it up yesterday they told the appointee it had been printed and processed on march 21st.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 6 hours ago
      @James Yesterday 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 9 hours ago
      @John Doe John, just call them. Last year they sent my letter out 3 times in March/April - never received. Eventually a manager hand wrote my address on the envelope, posted it out 1st class, which I then received end of May 2024. He mentioned a lot of letters last year were not reaching their destinations. Hope this helps.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 9 hours ago
      @John Doe Mine was dated 21st March and only received yesterday (April 2nd),  which seems very slow. DWP can't even post their letters quickly, they don't seem capable of doing anything right. 

      That's why I don't understand why every government wants them to change so much at once, yet the DWP catch up on its massive backlog and get the basics right first surely. Not even sure if the cuts are possible to implement as ironically the department are such in a big mess.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 21 hours ago
      @John Doe Pip uprating letter dated March 19th received March 29th 2025.

      Fingers crossed you will receive your letter this week. 
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 1 days ago
      @John Doe I had mine last week dated 19, my sister had her today dated 20th. They’re on their way lovely. 
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