Reform UK has announced that a government led by the party would scrap Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and introduce a new disability benefit, the Health Security Allowance, which would only be available to the “gravely ill and severely challenged”. According to the BBC, this change would result in almost 3 million people losing their disability benefits or having them modified, around three quarters of all PIP claimants.
New system to replace PIP and Universal Credit health element
The proposed Health Security Allowance would replace both PIP and the Universal Credit health element. A party document, as reported by the BBC, states that only the most “severe, enduring and high-risk cases” would receive payments. Support for others could come from local councils, and foreign nationals would be barred from claiming most benefits under Reform.
Reform has been consistently leading in the polls over the last 18 months and is aiming to become the next government. The announcement follows criticism of the existing PIP system and claims that it has become too easy for people with mental health-related conditions to claim money.
Surge in mental health claims drives rising costs
Claims for mental health-related conditions have more than doubled over the last six years, resulting in a ballooning disability benefits bill. Young adults are largely responsible for the surging claims. PIP is currently under review, with the Labour Government set to make decisions on its future next year. It appears likely that payments could be withheld for people with certain conditions like anxiety and depression.
Political reactions to the proposal
Reform's Treasury spokesperson Robert Jenrick wrote in the Telegraph that the amount spent on disability benefits was “not generosity … it is suicidal empathy”. Labour responded by saying: “Reform's £50bn claim is fantasy economics, built on stripping support from disabled people and shifting costs onto employers.”
The proposal is part of a radical overhaul of disability benefits that would significantly reduce the number of claimants receiving financial support, with the party aiming to control welfare spending.
