Disability Rights UK's Response to Government UC and PIP Bill Vote and Concessions

News
Following the second reading vote yesterday, Tuesday 1st July, Disability Rights UK publishes our response to the passing of the Government UC and PIP Bill, alongside the last-minute concessions from the Government. The third-reading vote is happening on Wednesday 9th July, so let's keep up the pressure on MPs to vote against it - you can access the 'Write to Your MP' tool at the bottom of this statement.

Disabled citizens across the country will today be enormously relieved that following major protests by Disabled people and significant rebellions from Labour MPs, cuts to Personal Independent Payments for existing and new claimants will not go ahead. However, serious concerns remain relating to the Government’s intention to press ahead with cuts to the health top-up of Universal Credit for people newly disabled after April 2026.

The Personal Independence Payment and Universal Credit Bill still proposes making hundreds of thousands of Disabled people receiving Universal Credit poorer. Disabled people on Universal Credit are some of the poorest people in the country, even on current rates of payment, yet the Government intends to reduce the payment by £47 per week for new claimants.

We’ve known all along that the public, Disabled people and our organisations have found this Bill to be unjust and unfair. Yet the government has used every tool in its arsenal, every procedural trick to push this dangerous bill through. Despite a majority of the public wanting the government to look elsewhere for savings than the disability benefits system, MPs still voted through cuts that will affect an estimated 700,000 people. Yet as the dust settles today, can we even be sure MPs know what they’ve voted for?

Make no mistake: this floundering and chaos from the Government is a direct result of the steadfast work of Disabled campaigners and our allies, who have made it clear that this bill is unworkable. Despite attempts to silence us, through our collective campaigning, we made them drop billions of pounds worth of cuts, and we will continue to resist this disastrous bill.

Write to your MP to oppose this bill using Inclusion London's Tool.