Latest news with #PersonalIndependencePayments
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Health
- Daily Mirror
'On worst days I tried to take my own life - new benefits bill is devastating'
The government has been slammed for 'turning its back on thousands of disabled people' as it pushes ahead with plans to cut disability benefits in an overhaul of the Universal Credit and PIP system With MPs set to vote on plans for widespread cuts to disability and sickness benefits, many recipients are concerned about what their futures will look like. As the government published its controversial benefits bill, overhauling the system for recipients of Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payments, the Mirror spoke to everyday people who have been left terrified by the proposals. Mark Smith, 49, from Cardiff, South Wales, was left unable to work after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, fibromyalgia and arthritis. He takes mood stabilisers and anti-depressants after attempting to take his own life on more than one occasion, and on average spends five days out of the week physically unable to leave the house. After applying to do a Masters in mental health, Mark lost £200 a month from his Universal Credit after the DWP deemed his student loan to be an income. But now he could see another 'devastating' £200 slashed from his PIP payments as a result of Labour's benefits bill. He said: "If I was a new applicant now I would receive at least half of the mobility side of PIP which would be about £200 less than what I'm receiving now. But for all I know it could affect the everyday living side of PIP as well. "It's impossible to know right now because we don't know the changes in the assessment until the government outlines them." Mark fears his payments, which he is due to receive until 2027 could end sooner and he will be forced to reapply under the new stricter scheme. "It's a deep rooted anxiety over not knowing and you feel like you're just making the best of what you've got for the time being," he said. He added: "The cost of living is really the cost of dying. Can a form really decide who are the most vulnerable in society or can people who don't know you and have never met you really know how bad it is, they don't understand what we go through daily." Mark's intense bouts of low mood often leave him unable to look after himself and his house, meaning he relies on the payments for easy prep meals and occasional cleaners. His illnesses also leave him suffering with fatigue and pain which can render him unable to drive and reliant on trains or taxis. He said: "Because my confidence has been reduced so much since Covid, when I rarely left the house, I have become incredibly anxious on the roads. I only drive within a relatively small area of Cardiff and so being able to take public transport means I can go further." Mark believes people are forgetting that PIP stands for personal independence payments and should be there to help people live an independent lifestyle. He has been claiming benefits for three years but believes there is more stigma attached to benefits than mental health. He said: "I don't struggle to tell people about my mental health but I do struggle to tell them I claim benefits."
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Health
- Daily Mirror
'Without PIP you hit rock bottom - benefit cuts are kicking us when we're down'
Recipients of disability benefits and PIP have hit out at the UK Government as a 'catastrophic' benefits cut bill was revealed with many left 'terrified' that their financial support will be taken away People who rely on disability benefits including PIP have hit out at the government after new legislation was published which shows plans aiming to slash £5 billion from the welfare bill in the next five years. As the government published its controversial benefits bill, overhauling the system for recipients of Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payments, the Mirror spoke to everyday people who have been left terrified by the proposals. Paul Harris, 45, from Barnard Castle, Co Durham, started claiming benefits when a mental breakdown left him unable to work eight years ago. Now, he's scared his financial support will be taken away, and fears becoming a 'burden' on his wife. After being diagnosed with anxiety and depression, Paul defaulted on bank loans and credit cards, and eventually relocated from Bedfordshire to the north in an effort to reduce his costs. He tried medication but suffered night terrors as a side effect and has exhausted the help available to him on the NHS. He uses his PIP and ESA payments, which equate to around £800 a month, to pay for essentials such as food and bills as well as using supplements to manage his anxiety and depression. Paul told the Mirror: "On the very bad days I'm back in bed with the curtains closed. "Last time I tried opening my CV I had a panic attack, I wouldn't even know what job to try and apply for, I struggle even getting on job websites, the anxiety builds even thinking about it." Paul, who worked in hotel reservations before becoming a property negotiator, says many of his anxious triggers are work related following his breakdown. It left him so physically debilitated he would lock himself in the work bathroom while having panic attacks and eventually was so unwell he couldn't even get ready for work. He added: "I already had a two year battle to have PIP reinstated a couple of years ago and at the time I used to call myself 'zero' because I wasn't bringing any money in. "I didn't feel like I was contributing anything and everything was on my wife. That had a massive negative impact. Having the money doesn't cure it but it gives you a little something to work from. Without PIP you hit rock bottom." Now the government's benefits bill means Paul and his wife Kim could face a £290 cut to their monthly income if his PIP payments are removed again. He said: "It's terrifying. It's that feeling of being completely misunderstood. "I have a lot of problems anyway feeling like a burden to my wife because she's the sole earner and it's had a massive impact on her mental health as well. If she can't work because she's self-employed, what do we do then? "I've exhausted all the NHS can do now the government wants to take my financial support away. How many more people do they want to kick while they're down?"
The National
a day ago
- Politics
- The National
Labour MPs to be 'blacklisted' if they fail to back benefit cuts
Rebels face the prospect of having the party whip suspended if they vote against plans to claw back £7 billion from the benefits budget. But those considering abstaining have been warned they will not be considered for promotion, The Times reports. A senior Government source told the paper that many new MPs failed to appreciate the 'gravity' of the situation if they believed that abstaining would help them evade sanction. (Image: DWP) They said: 'If someone has any ambition to be a minister then they need to realise that will never happen if they duck out of this. 'Being an MP is not just about being popular with your constituents.' Another insider added: 'You'd have to be mad to ever expect to seriously be looked at for promotion after not supporting this flagship piece of legislation. 'If you're wavering now, then anyone made a [private parliamentary secretary] or minister would be on resignation watch at future votes. Why would we take the risk with them?' READ MORE: Anas Sarwar urged to whip Scottish Labour MPs against welfare cuts The government's working majority of 165 means that 83 Labour MPs would need to rebel for Keir Starmer to lose a vote. An open letter signed by 42 Labour MPs last month warned that the Government's cuts 'represent the biggest attack on the welfare state since George Osborne ushered in the years of austerity and over three million of our poorest and most disadvantaged will be affected'. MPs are also jittery over an impact assessment published by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) which found that 250,000 people would be pushed into poverty by the changes, of whom 50,000 children. A handful of ministers are also on resignation watch, according to The Times. DWP Secretary Liz Kendall (below) published the bill to enact the changes on Wednesday. Nearly 400,000 people are set to be affected by tougher tests to qualify for Personal Independence Payments (PIP), the main disability benefit in England, by 2029. Around 800,000 new claimants will receive lower incapacity top-ups of £50 per week, down from the present rate of £97. Tens of thousands of young people will be barred from claiming Universal Credit health payments by raising the age at which this can be claimed to 22. A concession came in the form of allowing PIP claimants a 13 week grace period before their top-ups are downgraded.
The National
a day ago
- Business
- The National
Anas Sarwar urged to whip Scottish Labour MPs against welfare cuts
The Scottish Labour leader faces calls from the SNP to outline whether he will force his MPs to oppose the measures in the UK Government's welfare bill which was published on Wednesday. According to the UK Government's own analysis, changes to Personal Independence Payments and Universal Credit will plunge 250,000 people into poverty – including 50,000 children. Labour have faced accusations they are balancing the nation's books 'on the backs of the poorest in society' but Sarwar has defended the plans. READ MORE: Stephen Flynn in spat with Labour MP on disability cuts He previously told The Scotsman: 'Even with these changes that are being announced, welfare spending is projected to go up across the UK and go up in Scotland. That is not austerity, it is the very opposite of austerity.' But the changes remain controversial, with The Guardian reporting earlier this week that Government officials have admitted privately that framing the cuts in financial terms was a mistake, after initially announcing the cuts would save £5 billion. (Image: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire) Collette Stevenson, the SNP MSP for East Kilbride, said: 'Labour's planned disability cuts are a shameful imitation of Tory austerity measures that Labour promised to end. It is appalling that Keir Starmer is happy to continue Tory cuts that will plunge hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people into poverty. 'Anas Sarwar must come clean: will he instruct his MPs back these brutal cuts, or will he finally stand up for Scotland's most vulnerable?' READ MORE: EasyJet flight bound for Scottish airport declares mid-air emergency She highlighted past comments from Sarwar, in which the Scottish Labour leader 'promised to stand up to Sir Keir Starmer in Scotland's interest' but added that he had 'failed to do so'. Stevenson added: 'Voters deserve to know where Scottish Labour stands on the latest round of austerity from Westminster. 'The SNP will fight these cuts every step of the way and continue to push for the full powers of independence to build a fairer, more compassionate Scotland.' Scottish Labour were approached for comment.
Channel 4
2 days ago
- Politics
- Channel 4
Labour rebellion brewing over welfare reform plans
Fairness for the people who need support and fairness for the taxpayer' – that was what Work & Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said she was aiming for as she set out the details of the government's plan to reform disability benefits. But the proposal to tighten the eligibility for Personal Independence Payments, or PIPs, is worrying not only disability charities but many Labour backbenchers, despite assurances of protection for the claimants with the most severe conditions.
