No 10 plots billions in disability welfare cuts to ease debt crisis

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/01/10/billions-disability-welfare-cuts-calm-markets/

Posted by SwiftieNewRomantics

20 comments

  1. Downing Street is preparing billions of pounds worth of cuts to disability benefits in an attempt [to calm markets](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/01/10/why-buoyant-us-economy-rachel-reeves-cornered/) over its economic plan, The Telegraph can reveal.

    No 10 and Treasury figures think significant reductions are needed in the welfare budget, including to personal independence payments (PIP).

    The annual cost of support payments for people with [disabilities and health conditions](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/disability/) is forecast to soar from £22 billion to £35 billion by 2029 – a 60 per cent increase.

    It comes as Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, is under mounting pressure to [prove to the markets](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/01/09/markets-dont-believe-chancellor-has-a-plan-rachel-reeves/) that she can hit her borrowing rules as the cost of government debt rises.

    Ms Reeves is said to have made clear to the Treasury that she wants to get “tough” on spending – meaning [cuts in unprotected departments](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/01/10/ftse-100-markets-latest-news-reeves-china-bond-pound/) – rather than considering new tax rises.

    Government officials are exploring tightening the rules around what proof is needed to get disability payments and alternatives to the weekly cash handouts.

    The move risks triggering a backlash from the Left and disability campaigners who fiercely criticised the Conservatives when they announced a similar overhaul of PIP last year.

    A senior government source said welfare reforms would show Labour was the “party of work”.

    However, one Whitehall insider expressed concerns over the Treasury’s “slash slash slash” agenda.

    Under his premiership, Rishi Sunak made reform of the PIP system a cornerstone of his welfare reforms. A consultation was issued on possible changes.

    The Telegraph understands that Labour ministers in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) are continuing some of the work, looking at their own reforms to PIP.

    The original Tory consultation, which the Labour Government must now respond to, offered specifics about how the benefit could be scaled back.

    One involved being more specific about the type of mental health condition that could warrant the payments. Another looked at asking for greater medical evidence before approval. A third area was replacing some payments with non-cash benefits.

    Liz Kendall, the Work and Pensions Secretary, has rejected the idea of swapping the money for vouchers but other options are available.

    Cuts to the soaring welfare bill are being sought by senior figures in No 10, which is keen to counter Reform’s popularity, and the Treasury, which needs to find sizeable savings.

  2. Tax amazon and other large cooperations similarly. Stop these off shore accounts for millionaires.

    Simple tax dodging bullshit for the rich but everyone below must pay the price

  3. I’m starting to hate Labour. I was disappointed, but seeing them target the disabled in such a brutal way has stopped me from ever voting for them again. I have always voted for Labour, but this is the last straw. I have three disabled teenagers, doing their best in an increasingly difficult world. To have Labour make it even more difficult for them is repugnant, particularly as there are BILLIONS of pounds that could be raised from taking on the ultra rich, instead of making the vulnerable even more miserable. They’re cowards, feeble, pathetic cowards, consistently making terrible decisions.

  4. It was probably those welfare recipients that created ALL the debt, anyway.

    /s

  5. F. For fail. The correct answer is the polar opposite:

    Increase welfare for disability as those who require it’s support actually suffer quite a lot of financial hardship.

    Meanwhile, tax the most fortunate – those blessed with corporate wealth, multiple property and globe trotting billionaires such as , well I dunno who they could be

  6. ” The Telegraph understands ” is all you need to read herw.
    More rage bait.

  8. A 2016 government review found that one in three people claiming sickness benefits had conditions that were fueled by obesity. Why are we treating eating too much as a disability?

    Throw in those who are off work because they just can’t cope with a bit of stress and there should be plenty of savings available.

    In my work I see so many who just don’t want to work. Who see life as something they are just entitled to have funded by others. Who play the system to the detriment of the genuinely needy who should be helped. I see it first hand and nothing ever changes.

    But the rich etc.

  9. Or … or … this is a crazy idea … stay with me … get rid of the fucking triple lock

  11. Funny how welfare cuts have suddenly become an issue worthy of investigation for certain newspapers. I wonder what changed.

  12. Ohh surprise surprise, those at the bottom carry on taking the brunt off the riches mismanagement.
    Just another Tory in a red tie. Said it ever since he appeared.

    When are we as a country going to just give up on the idea of playing ping pong with these rich fucks who give no shits about the people they are meant for to serve.

  15. I’m going to hold of judgment for now until it actually happens

  16. go after the BOE instead, the fuckers are near purposefully sinking us into a  recession with this bond selling BS.

  17. Yet another oligarchy focused govt. Just what we need /s. How about closing tax loopholes and tax havens so multinational conglomerates pay their damned taxes, instead of yet again punishing the poor and disabled for daring to be poor and disabled?

    The whole lot of these Oxbridge and Eaton clowns couldn’t be further out of touch with the British public if they were living on the moon. All they care about regardless of party is shares, shares, shares, how many more billions a billionaire can make off with from our economy this year and how best to ensure they personally get invited to a cushy advisory role post political carrer with whomever’s corporate balls they choose to gobble while in office.

    We’ve had decades of proof that privatisation, no matter the method NEVER nets any kind of benefit for the average brit nor for the government. All it does is syphon public funds into private hands while lowering quality of services.

    So long as the leading political parties in this country blindly chase the capitalist falacy of exponential growth exponentially the average Brit is destined to see further stagnation and lowering of quality of life in negative correlation to how much money corporate crooks can claim in “year on year profits”

    A perfect example is Neoliberal Labour’s solution/response to the funding crisis in the nhs. The people have spoken, we WANT the NHS, we dont want private health care a la the United States. There has been outrage at every attempt to privatise and outsource frontline medical services so now these clowns have decided to allow privatisation of the supply chain and auxiliary services instead (such as cleaning & maintenance and patient transport). Ultimately costing the tax payer more anyway so that private interests can make a tidy sum from the tax coffers meant to save lives.

  19. I wouldn’t change the amount of support you give, but if they really want to save money i wouldn’t mind them being a little more discerning as to who qualifies

    I say this because despite having six figure salary, a member of of my family has a better quality of life than me by faking disability. he got some kind of knee complaint and managed to have a detached house, car, 3 dogs, gaming pc and annual holiday all paid for by the state. Said he couldn’t be a lollipop man because it was “too stressful”.

    thats not to say i want genuinely disabled people to receive less – just root out the liars.

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