Health Secretary declines to be drawn on benefit freeze ‘speculation’

A senior minister has declined to be drawn on whether the UK Government will freeze personal independence payment (PIP) as uncertainty continues to surround Labour’s upcoming welfare reforms.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall is expected to announce reforms on Tuesday aimed at cutting a welfare bill that ministers have described as “unsustainable”.
Ahead of the announcement, speculation has mounted that PIP – the main benefit for working-age adults – could be frozen rather than increased in line with inflation, delivering a real-terms cut for 3.6 million claimants.
But on Sunday, reports suggested the Government is considering reversing course on PIP in the face of opposition from Labour MPs and division in the Cabinet.
‘Support’
Asked about the speculation on Sunday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he has not yet seen the full proposals, but is sure Ms Kendall “wants to support people who need help the most” and will “make sure that there is a wide range of support”.
He told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: “I haven’t seen the proposals but you’ve seen the briefing, you’ve seen the speculation, I think the moral of the story is wait for the plans.”
During his interview, Mr Streeting also said he believes there is an “overdiagnosis” of mental health conditions leading to “too many people being written off” as unable to work.
Campaigners have urged the Government not to cut PIP, saying it would only serve to push disabled people into poverty.
A PIP recipient with multiple sclerosis told the MS Society the prospect of cuts “scares the hell out of me”.
They added: “Even with my husband’s income and my PIP payments, our finances just disappear each month.
“My MS means I have extra costs like taking supplements and accessing different therapies which can be expensive. Alongside that, our day-to-day living costs are increasing.”
‘Damaging speculation’
The SNP has also attacked the Government, saying Sir Keir Starmer should “apologise” to disabled people for “allowing damaging speculation to run wild”.
Kirsty Blackman, the party’s work and pensions spokeswoman, said any planned cuts to disability payments should be “abandoned” and she accused Labour of “deliberately fuelling speculation” in the media about its intentions.
Meanwhile, Ms Kendall is expected to attempt to reassure people receiving disability benefits by introducing a “right to try guarantee” that will allow them to take up work without necessarily losing their entitlements.
The move is said to be in response to surveys suggesting disabled people and those with long-term health conditions fear they will not get their benefits back if they try employment but it does not work out.
A Government source said: “The broken welfare system we inherited is trapping thousands of people in a life on benefits with no means of support, or any hope for a future of life in work.
“It doesn’t account for the reality of people’s health conditions, many of whom fear that they will be punished for taking a chance on work.
“As part of our plan for change, our reforms will deliver fairness and opportunity for disabled people, and those with long-term health conditions, protecting the welfare system so it is sustainable for the future and will always be there for those who need it.”
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I was going to ask if Wes at least had a boy scout badge in first aid…guess not…
Strange posture, leaning into the viewer, together with his pleading look, stroll on…
The Labour party is preparing for PRIVATISATION.
Successive governments have a bad habit of frightening disabled people on PIP into a state of dreadful anxiety. Some people are known to have become suicidal and others have died from worry. They have no idea of the harm they do but do they care? Probably not in the knowledge that their health and old age situations are well taken care of by handsome pensions paid for by the taxpayer and disabled people.
Their attitude toward the public is at the whim of the Minister, rarely is it benign…
There should be a scoreboard of avoidable deaths per minister…
We are in the realm of serial killers rampaging round the globe…
The health of 60 odd million people is in the hands of this fellow, who lacks any knowledge or experience of medicine or of companies who employ any workers let alone 1.5 million people. He is in charge of spending £180 billion yet he has less qualifications than Jeremy Miles!
I didn’t think Wes Streeting was health secretary in Wales.