UK Government review faces criticism from Welsh disability campaigners

Adam Johannes

A Welsh disability campaign group has criticised a major UK Government review of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP), calling it ‘unfair’.

The “Timms review”, led by Minister of State for Social Security and Disability Sir Stephen Timms, will examine the benefit which is currently claimed by more than 275,000 people in Wales.

PIP is designed to help meet the additional costs of disability irrespective of employment status. But disabled activists say they already have “serious concerns” about how the process of reviewing it is being handled.

The row comes after Labour’s proposed disability benefit cuts last year sparked a storm of criticism leading to the biggest parliamentary rebellion of Keir Starmer’s premiership.

Disabled People Against Cuts Cymru (DPAC Cymru) said: “Facing a major defeat in Parliament over Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment cuts, the UK Government at the last minute dropped proposals to cut PIP until the conclusion of the Timms Review.

“Sir Timms promised Parliament that this review would be ‘co-produced’ with disabled people, however the overwhelming consensus of disabled people’s organisations is that genuine co-production is not taking place.”

The campaign group has issued an open appeal calling on the review panel to prove it isn’t another stitch-up with the outcome already decided in advance.

It warns that disabled people must not be dragged through yet another sham consultation dressed up as “participation”, and that the review needs to throw its doors open and allow far more disabled people to take part. They argue its scope must be widened to address the real issues that shape the lives of disabled people, not just the narrow topics ministers are comfortable with, and insist it must engage properly with the 1.4 million disabled workers in Britain and their trade unions.

Moratorium

The appeal also calls for a moratorium on any further cuts to disability benefits while the review is ongoing.

The group argue that the UK government’s planned cuts to Motability and Access to Work, along with signals of further welfare cuts, and the arguments being put to the public to justify these changes, will create a political climate that may bias the review, adding: “Irresponsible language by ministers regarding alleged ‘overdiagnosis’ of mental health disabilities is a clear attempt to prejudice the outcome.”

Last year, the UK government faced criticism after the only in-person consultation in the whole of Wales on proposed disability benefit cuts was cancelled at short notice. Campaigners have urged the current review to learn from these earlier failures in engagement and outreach.

Their intervention has won broad backing, with disability organisations, trade unions and politicians from different parties voicing support.

At a DPAC Cymru lobby of the Senedd, Plaid Cymru’s Sioned Williams MS said her party “backs their call for an independent review of PIP, led by disabled people.”

Conservative MS Dr Altaf Hussain agreed, saying he “fully supports” the demand for “an independent, disabled-led review”.

The campaign group say pressure must now be put on the UK Government to prove that disabled people in Wales will finally be listened to.