About this update
This update has been written by Trussell on behalf of the ten organisations who originally produced this joint briefing on the UC & PIP Bill.
We are happy to support parliamentarians with further information or briefing ahead of the upcoming debate. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
What has changed?
In a letter dated Thursday 26th June, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions set out two changes that the UK government intend to make to the bill:
Firstly, we recognise the proposed changes have been a source of uncertainty and anxiety. Therefore, we will ensure that all of those currently receiving PIP will stay within the current system. The new eligibility requirements will be implemented from November 2026 for new claims only.
Secondly, we will adjust the pathway of Universal Credit payment rates to make sure all existing recipients of the UC health element – and any new claimant meeting the severe conditions criteria – have their incomes fully protected in real terms.
The letter also repeats a commitment to involve disabled people in the review of PIP – a commitment first made in the March 2025, Pathways to Work green paper.
We will take forward a ministerial review of the PIP assessment, led by the Minister for Social Security and Disability, to ensure the benefit is fair and fit for the future.
At the heart of this review will be coproduction with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, and MPs so their views and voices are heard. The review will then report to me as Work and Pensions Secretary.
What reforms remain in the bill?
As it stands, the bill will receive its Second Reading without any changes to its provisions. We understand the government’s intention is to bring forward these changes as amendments at committee stage. If this is the case, then the amended bill would leave the following cuts in place:
- Cuts to PIP for people applying after November 2026. By 2030 these cuts will have removed support from over 400,000 disabled people, with an average loss of £4,500. These cuts operate by restricting entitlement through a new requirement known as the ‘4-point rule- which is set out in Clause 5 of the bill.
- Cuts to the health element of Universal Credit and equivalent support in ESA for nine in ten people applying after April 2026. By 2030, these cuts will have removed support from 700,000 disabled people with an average loss of £3,000. New recipients who see their health element cut will also have their payments frozen at the lower rate. These cuts are set out in Clause 2 of the Bill.
The numbers of people affected by these cuts, will only grow in the years to follow.
These cuts sit alongside the provisions in Clause 1 which increase the basic rate or ‘standard allowance’ of Universal Credit incrementally from April 2026 so that by April 2029 it will have risen by 4.8% above inflation. By the end of the period, this will be an increase of around £250 a year above inflation for a single adult over the age of 25.
However as part of the government’s changes to the bill, it has confirmed that the 2.3m existing recipients of the UC health element (and other exempted groups) will not see the effects of this increase. Instead their health element will ‘be uprated each year this Parliament to ensure their combined rate of the Universal Credit standard allowance and LCWRA is protected in real terms.’
What is the process for scrutiny?
MPs will be asked to vote for the bill as currently drafted at Second Reading on Tuesday 1st July.
All of the remaining stages of the bill will take place on Wednesday 9th July. It will be considered through a committee of the whole house, so there will not be an opportunity to take evidence from experts on the bill’s provisions.
The bill is expected to be certified as a Money Bill and so it would become law one month after being sent to the House of Lords, regardless of whether it is approved or whether peers propose amendments.
What has the reaction been?
You can find excerpts from the reaction to these announcements from the Disability Benefits Consortium, and from the organisations who produced this briefing below. Where possible we have provided links to the full response.
Disability Benefits Consortium
These supposed ‘concessions’ to the cuts bill are just a desperate attempt to rush through a disastrous piece of legislation. By pushing the cuts onto future claimants, the government are betraying the next generation of disabled people. Why should someone who needs support to wash in 2025 be entitled to PIP, but not someone who has the same needs in 2035?
If the bill passes in its revised form, it will still push more people into poverty and worsen people’s health. We urge MPs to use their power to stop this impending disaster. The bill must be stopped in its tracks.
These new changes will create a two-tier benefits system and an unequal future for disabled people. People who become disabled in the future will not have the same access to support. We’re still urging MPs to vote against the bill next week. These changes don’t go far enough.
Next week MPs are being asked to vote on a bill without knowing the full impact of the changes; they are being asked to vote without having seen the outcome of the consultation on changes to the PIP assessments; and they are being asked to vote on a bill that risks pushing disabled people in the future into poverty. The government needs to radically rethink these proposals and work meaningfully with disabled people to create a safety net that is fair and fit for purpose.
This is a crucial moment for this country. These newly-proposed changes will simply create a two-tier system. For young disabled people and people who become disabled in the future, there will be no escape. If this goes ahead, from November next year, new claimants who need help to cut up food, dress, wash, or use the toilet will be denied the lifeline that Personal Independence Payment provides. There must be time for a full consultation and impact assessment so the consequences of these decisions are clear for all. These benefits are a vital support for millions of disabled people – major change should not be rushed through. MPs have a choice: be on the side of disabled people or vote for cuts that will cause real suffering in the future.
It makes no sense to rip away vital support from people who become disabled or face worsening health problems over the next few years. By the end of this parliament alone, nearly half a million people will miss out on thousands of pounds of vital PIP support simply because their health has worsened after an arbitrary date. Yet more will suffer due to cuts to the Universal Credit health element. We will now face a system where disabled people’s level of support from our social security system will be determined by a lottery of time, not by need. If we agree disabled people need this support now, we must make sure it’s there for disabled people who need it in the future.
Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Significant changes have been made to protect current recipients of PIP and health-related Universal Credit. This major shift is a reflection of a growing body of evidence about the deepening hardship that withdrawing support will cause. Nearly 8 in 10 families in receipt of these benefits have already been going without essentials. But as things stand, new disabled claimants from next year will continue to be pushed into deep hardship by these cuts, which should be opposed.
The government’s concessions on disability benefit cuts don’t go far enough. People who become disabled will not benefit from this watering down and trying work will only become even more risky for current claimants. The government must go back to the drawing board
You can read the full briefing on the UC & PIP Bill as currently drafted here.