‘The government should be ashamed of the £5,000,000,000 disability cuts – they are barbaric’
A disability rights campaigner has slammed the government’s benefit cuts as ‘barbaric’ and said she is scared of what the future will hold for the community.
Earlier this week Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall announced changes to the welfare system aimed at saving £5bn by the end of 2030.
Shani Dhanda, an award-winning ambassador for the disability charity Scope said the government should be ‘ashamed’ of the cuts.
She told Metro: ‘The changes are barbaric and indefensible.’
‘We’re living in a time where so many disabled people are in poverty, destitution, and are in hunger.
‘And the government now want to make more cuts which have nothing to do with getting people back into work.
‘This is a big step back, and the government should be ashamed.’
Shani, from Birmingham, won the title of the UK’s most influential disabled person in 2023 and said it is ‘scary’ how much more expensive life will become now for even more disabled people.
When she was two years old Dhanda was diagnosed with Brittle Bone Disease (Osteogenesis Imperfecta), causing her bones to frequently break.
She said a ‘stigma’ attached to them is still preventing people from getting jobs, and that the ‘narrative for the government’ is to to cut their spending on welfare, and yet ‘want more disabled people in jobs.’
The government’s reforms are the biggest welfare cut since 2015, and tilt the welfare system away from disabled people to the unemployed, the Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank said earlier this week.
While Keir Starmer yesterday said the government can’t ‘shrug its shoulders’ and pretend the welfare system is ‘progressive’.
He defended the cuts and said the rising cost is ‘devastating’ for the public finances.
Shani said nearly half of everyone in the UK who is in poverty is either a disabled person or they’re a carer of a disabled person.
Speaking about the financial impact the cuts are going to have on the disabled community she said it isn’t going to just ‘magically end up in jobs.’
She said: ‘Let’s not forget that PIP is not an unemployment benefit. PIP helps to offset the unavoidable extra costs that disabled people face.
‘And, you know, cutting people’s support that they so desperately need is not going to mean that, you know, they magically end up in jobs.’
‘We’re living in a time where so many disabled people are in poverty, destitution, and are in hunger.
‘And the government now want to make more cuts which have nothing to do with getting people back into work.
Data last year from charity Scope said on average it costs an additional £1,010 a month to have the same standard of living as non-disabled households.
The Disability Price Tag report said on average the extra cost of disability is equivalent to 67% of household income after housing costs.
The welfare overhaul has seen that around a million people who used to receive Pip but now won’t qualify after the changes, stand to lose more than £4,000 a year.
Shani added: ‘What it means is, from a personal perspective, that life is going to cost even more money.
‘Personally, for me. I’m not able to save for my future, because any money I would be saving, or I could try to save, I’m having to spend it now to live.
‘And it’s things like having to pay taxes because the tube stations aren’t accessible.
‘So again, these are things that I can’t avoid doing, because if if I’m going to work, I have to get there.’
The disability specialist, campaigner and social business person said the cuts have caused high anxiety in the community.
What are Pip benefits?
By Craig Munro
The Personal Independence Payment began to be rolled out in 2013 amid the phase-out of the Disability Living Allowance for most recipients in England and Wales.
Today, disabled children in England and Wales get Disability Living Allowance and switch to Pip when they turn 16 – although the BBC has found the switch from one to the other is not always smooth, even for those with life-changing conditions like cancer, blindness and epilepsy.
James Taylor, the director of strategy for Scope, told Metro: ‘The significance of Pip is that it recognises life isn’t easy and offers some financial support.’
However, he said the current rate ‘doesn’t go anywhere near far enough’ to cover the extra expense that many disabled people face.
At the moment, the basic rate of living allowance provided weekly via Pip is £72.65 and the enhanced rate is £108.55 – well below the £1,010 a month typically needed according to Scope’s calculations.
The amount a recipient gets is based on the amount of aid and supervision they need for everyday tasks, and extra is available for those with mobility issues.
This is worked out through a system of points depending on the areas where people struggle most.
Health professionals rate each recipient on a scale of zero to 12 for the amount of support they need for everyday tasks, such as preparing food and washing.
It is this points system that lies at the centre of today’s changes.
What changes are coming to Pip benefits?
Speaking to MPs this afternoon, Liz Kendall said Pip would not be frozen, as had been reported earlier this month.
But she added: ‘People will need to score a minimum of four points in at least one activity to qualify for the daily living element of Pip from November 2026.
‘This is not affect the mobility component of Pip and only relates to the daily living element.’
The intention is to stop people who are given low scores across a range of areas from being able to claim the benefit, and limit it only to people who are most severely disabled.
In addition, a review is being launched into the Pip assessment, which will be led by Social Security and Disability Minister Sir Stephen Timms.
This would be run ‘in close consultation with disabled people, the organisations that represent them and other experts’, Kendall said.
The minimum age to claim the benefit will rise from 16 to 18.
She added: I’ve been reading comments that people already like, want to take their own life because it’s a vicious cycle.’
In a message to the community, she said: ‘Nothing’s happening straight away.
‘MPs do need to vote on this, and if anybody is worried or feeling anxious to get support from like Samaritans, they can be contacted day or night, or Scope, they have a helpline.’
‘You’re definitely, not alone in feeling the way that you are, either, and just reach out for support.’
She told Metro: ‘If you are a disabled person and you genuinely cannot work, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have access to a dignified life with access to adequate care and resources that you deserve and need.’
Samaritans are here to listen, day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or visit samaritans.org for more information.
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