I do understand from the emails I have received how anxious many people are about this and about how the changes might affect them in the future. So, I hope it might be helpful if I set out what the proposals are trying to achieve and how they intend to provide more assistance for people to get back into work, while protecting those who cannot work now and will never be able to work in the future.

The first thing to say is that the current system is not effective in supporting disabled people and the cost is unsustainable.

Spending on disability benefits has increased by 45% in real terms since the Covid pandemic and, without taking some action, it would rise by a further £18 billion over the next five years. The number of working age people claiming personal independence payment (PIP) is set to more than double this decade from 2 million to 4.3 million. Every day, there are more than 1,000 new PIP awards and that’s the equivalent of adding a population the size of Leicester every single year. This is not sustainable long-term.

Also, when you look at other comparable countries, including Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and the United States, their spending on equivalent benefits has fallen or remained stable over the same period. Having said all that, welfare spending will continue to rise.

The second thing I would say is that the system isn’t working for many disabled people.

To take just one example, we have nearly 1 million young people not in education, employment, or training – that is one eight of the next generation. We cannot simply shrug our shoulders and accept this because it’s not good for those young people and it’s not good for the future of our society.

And that is why the changes we are making are going to put more support and more effort into helping people to get into work for the first time or back into work.

So, we plan to put an additional £1bn a year into work, health and skill support through the new ‘pathways to work’ programme.

We will rebalance payments in Universal Credit to address perverse incentives by increasing the standard allowance above inflation for the first time ever. This will equate to a £775 cash increase per year by 2029/30 for existing and new claimants.

We will protect existing claimants by holding the health top up steady in cash terms while they will benefit from the higher standard allowance. There will be an additional premium for new claimants with the most severe, life-long health conditions, who have no prospect of improvement and will never be able to work.

We will scrap the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) entirely. It’s failing people and unhelpfully labelling them as either ‘can’ or ‘can’t’ work, when the reality is that health conditions can fluctuate, and many want support to work.

We will reduce the perceived risk of working by introducing a ‘right to try’ guarantee that work in and of itself will never lead to someone being called for a reassessment. This is in addition to rules in place which allow people to try work and return to their old benefit without the need for reassessment if it doesn’t work out.

We will introduce Unemployment Insurance protecting people with a higher rate of benefit if they fall out of work to help them quickly get back on track.

On PIP, which many of you have raised, we will not means-test it or freeze it as some have suggested. Instead, our reforms will focus support on those with the greatest needs.

We will legislate for a change in PIP so people will need to score a minimum of 4 points in at least one activity to qualify for the daily living element of PIP from November 2026.

This will not affect the mobility component of PIP and only relates to the daily living element.

This will focus PIP more on those with the greatest needs by ensuring that people who are unable to complete activities at all, or who require more help from others to complete them, still get support.

This will mean, however, that some people with lower-level needs will no longer get PIP. This change will not happen overnight. It will apply to new claims and award reviews from November 2026 subject to parliamentary approval. And of course, as is the case currently, if you are unhappy about a decision following a PIP assessment or reassessment, you will continue to be able to appeal to the Tribunal.

I also want to reassure you that these changes aren’t coming into effect immediately. Changes will apply to existing recipients of PIP when they reach their next review – which is usually every three years – if their circumstances have changed. If your disability or health condition is a severe and lifelong one, and your circumstances remain unchanged, then you will be protected and you will never be fully reassessed. For those who are affected by the new eligibility changes we are consulting on how best to support this group, including how to make sure their health and care needs are met.

If you would like to read more detail about the changes, then I have pasted below a link to the statement made in the House of Commons by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/secretary-of-state-for-work-and-pensions-speech-to-the-house-of-commons-on-welfare-reform

I know this is a difficult issue, but it’s worth remembering that, even after these changes, the welfare budget will continue to grow in the next few years.

I hope this is helpful.

Hilary Benn

MP for Leeds South and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland