Post-election benefits updates

Details: Published: 01 July 2024

So, the election is over and many readers will be heaving a sigh of relief that the Conservative's have been defeated. But mixed with that, for many, will the huge new anxiety of not knowing what Labour have planned for claimants.

We'll publish any welfare benefits related updates here as we get them.

But there may be many members of the Labour government giving interviews that touch on benefits. There’s no hope that we can keep track of them all.

So, if you come across anything new, please post a comment here and help us to give readers some desperately needed information about what the future might hold.

Where possible, please include a link.

Full details of DWP ministers and their responsibilities

The government have now announced full details of the DWP ministers and their responsibilities. Possibly good news is the appointment of Stephen Timms as minister for disability. Possibly less good news is the appointment of right of centre MP Alison McGovern as minister for employment.

New DWP ministers announced

Sir Stephen Timms and Alison McGovern have been appointed DWP ministers, though their roles have not yet been revealed. Timms has been a staunch advocate on behalf of disabled claimants in his role as chair of the work and pensions committee.

More details here

Liz Kendall is new secretary of state for work and pensions

Liz Kendall has been named as the new secretary of state for work and pensions, find out more about her here.

The fate of Tory DWP secretaries of state

We don't yet have a formal announcement of who the Labour secretary of state for work and pensions will be, but we do now know the fate of all the Conservative holders of that post since 2010. Find out which former Tory DWP secretaries of state survived the election .

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K · 2 months ago
https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/pip-reform-labour-plans-3179300?ito=copy-link_share_article-top

This reads quite positively
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ABC · 2 months ago
Does anyone have any idea if the new government will do the bank spying powers?
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Honsi · 2 months ago
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/dwp-announces-big-changes-job-050309182.html Some big changes just posted.
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  Lolly · 2 months ago
  
  @Honsi This is saying disabled people won't be forced into unsuitable jobs but they will be forced to work in suitable jobs this means they would have people working from their hospital bed
  
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Paul · 2 months ago
This is Stephen Timms speaking on disability assessments last September

https://youtu.be/3gKa5uin4S0
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SCO · 2 months ago
Hi S.C. Thanks very much. I have seen that labour may be keen to introduct an A.I. bill at some point. Do you/anyone think they would include it in that?
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SCO · 2 months ago
Hi. I know its early days but does any information or feeling on if labour will check bank accounts like the tories were going to? Thanks
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  PH · 2 months ago
  
  @SCO Conservatives were going to do? They bloody do. The universal credits system is a joke. I’m migrating over from tax credits. Feel like a criminal
  
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  S.C. · 2 months ago
  
  @SCO This is just based on my own understanding, but from what I've heard, it would seem that plan is dead in the water. When policies were being rushed through the House of Lords before the election, the Lord's rejected the bank account monitoring legislation. I think that would mean that Labour would have to start the process all over again. I doubt they would be terribly interested in doing so.
  
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Gary · 2 months ago
Alison McGovern MP
@Alison_McGovern
has been appointed Minister of State in the Department for Work and Pensions

How Alison McGovern voted on Welfare, Benefits and Pensions #
For votes held while they were in office:

Generally voted for paying higher benefits over longer periods for those unable to work due to illness or disabilityShow votes
9 votes for, 0 votes against, 5 absences, between 2015–2022. Comparable Labour MPs almost always voted for.
Almost always voted for raising welfare benefits at least in line with pricesShow votes
5 votes for, 0 votes against, 2 absences, between 2013–2022. Comparable Labour MPs generally voted for.
Consistently voted for increasing the state pension age for women more slowlyShow votes
3 votes for, 0 votes against, in 2011. Comparable Labour MPs generally voted for.
Generally voted against a reduction in spending on welfare benefitsShow votes
0 votes for, 21 votes against, 12 absences, between 2011–2022. Comparable Labour MPs almost always voted against.
Has never voted on making local councils responsible for helping those in financial need afford their council tax and reducing the amount spent on such supportDetails
0 votes for, 0 votes against, 4 absences, in 2012.
Consistently voted against increasing the state pension ageShow votes
0 votes for, 5 votes against, between 2011–2022.
Generally voted against reducing housing benefit for social tenants deemed to have excess bedrooms (which Labour describe as the "bedroom tax")Show votes
0 votes for, 2 votes against, 4 absences, between 2011–2014. Comparable Labour MPs almost always voted against.
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Ali B · 2 months ago
Stephen Timms is a fantastic post at the DWP! Truly compassionate man.
Hopefully will keep Liz Kendall in check!
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JH · 2 months ago
Interestingly, I today received (and completed) a YouGov survey regarding my disability. In the post I have made my health condition known in YouGov surveys and I wonder if it was targeted at a previously self-declared disabled demographic?

It asked about my most severe longterm health condition and how it impacted my employment - such as time off for medical appointments, my ability to do my job and whether my employer had provided any accommodations.

It also asked how much delay I experienced before receiving an initial NHS referral appointment, diagnosis, and then treatment and whether I had resorted to private healthcare (lol). It asked what benefits I was on, did I think of myself as disabled, and whether I was struggling financially. I made sure to detail ALL the extra costs involved with my disability.

So it's pretty clear that things are already underway, since I can't imagine anybody else wanting to know this stuff.
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Ali B · 2 months ago
This today in The Mirror.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/household-bills/universal-credit-pip-state-pension-33189638?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar
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ShadowPony · 2 months ago
if people read the labour party Manifesto, they will see that labour wants to review universal credit. to my mind, what should happen is this. any managed migrations that have not happened, and are not already in the system should be paused until the review is completed. as for the pip consultation, it's so tory, that it needs to be binned. it's at green paper stage, so can easily be junked. receipt of Pip has nothing to do directly with getting disabled people into work, the beneifit is not employment status dependent.
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bennysmum80 · 2 months ago
Hello All
I've been with you all for some years now but this is the first comment i have ever made. I read on Yahoo News that Starmer just wants to get disabled people back into work but no mention of what is to happen to all those claimants, including my son, who are absolutely incapable of work. He states that he is going to look at the replies to the green Paper 'consultation' which ends on the 22nd July. I think he has already decided what he's going to do but is just trying to make it look good. Hang on in there, never give up and never give in
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  Anon · 2 months ago
  
  @bennysmum80 There's an article in today's (7/7/24) Daily Record as well regarding Labour's plans to get more disabled people into the workforce
  
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Cheeky · 2 months ago
Liz Kendall is new Labour Secretary of state for the Department for Work and Pensions!
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Catherine Bibby · 2 months ago
Liz kendal appointed Work and Pensions.
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SCO · 2 months ago
Hi, not sure if this is the correct place to be posting this. Sorry if it isn't. This says that labour opposed the bank spying powers. Dated yestarday.
https://www.penningtonslaw.com/news-publications/latest-news/2024/the-lapse-of-the-data-protection-and-digital-information-bill
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  Jen · 2 months ago
  
  @SCO I think the bank spying was shelved a while ago!
  
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DC · 2 months ago
Whatever is changed for the future will still need to be lawful under existing laws. It’s a huge task to sweep away PIP and replace it with something else. Whilst that may eventually happen it won’t do overnight and will be an evolved process. So many things need to happen first to make it successful and legal. All we are hearing is soundbites and it’s best to remember that. If something will change, it will only change if deemed workable and lawful. Ignore the bluster, keep calm and carry on.
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  Jen · 2 months ago
  
  @Mark Tony Blair’s government looked into means testing disability benefits!
  I think that’s what they’ll try to do, I read today (8/7/24) that they could means test the state pension!
  
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  Mark · 2 months ago
  
  @DC I do think they will change PIP in the future and make it harder to get, but I don't think they will ever abolish it, as it's to established now. Also no decent human being would ever pass legislation to make disabled people poorer, as it would just be morally and ethically wrong in every way!!!
  
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A · 2 months ago
Need rid of Jeremy Hunt, become a very dangerous person happy to help people into poverty!
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  Titch · 2 months ago
  
  @A He has also stepped down from being a candidate for PRIME Minister...👍👍👍 that was on the news today 6/7/24
  
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JH · 2 months ago
I emailed Labour HQ last week asking them to leave PIP as cash payments (I provided a lot of reasons supporting this request) and received the following overly repetitive copy-and-paste job from somebody called Alistair.

'Dear JH,
Your views, personal experiences and observations have been noted and shared with the relevant policy teams.

Over the last ten years, disabled people have been disproportionately impacted by the Conservative Government failure, with a broken system of social security and social care that has failed to support disabled people to live fulfilling and independent lives.

Labour is committed to the social model of disability and the principle of working with disabled people, so their views and voices are at the heart of all we do.

Labour is committed to championing the rights of disabled people and to the principle of working with them, so that their views and voices will be at the heart of all we do.

Labour will always treat disabled people with dignity and respect. Labour will protect disabled people by making all existing strands of hate crime an aggravated offence.

Labour believes the Work Capability Assessment is not working and needs to be reformed or replaced, alongside a proper plan to support disabled people to work. We will tackle the backlog of Access to Work claims and give disabled people the confidence to start working without the fear of an immediate benefit reassessment if it does not work out.

Labour will improve the reasonable adjustments process so that the system works better for those that need it and will examine how to best achieve this in detail if we form the next government.

Labour will make flexible working the default from day one for all workers, with employers required to accommodate requests as far as is reasonable. Labour will ensure workers can benefit from flexible working, including opportunities for flexi-time contracts.

Labour will introduce mandatory disability pay reporting for organisations with more than 250 employees. We will act to close the employment gap and enshrine in law the full right to equal pay for disabled people.

Labour is the Party of change and will change the country for the better if elected on July 4.
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CaroA · 2 months ago
Thanks Helen and JoM for your MPs letters. Its comforting to know that some in the Labour party are behaving like decent human beings. I hope they have an influence on their party leadership. Appreciated.
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Jane Cleverly · 2 months ago
Jane , I saw the tory and Labour debate last week and rishi said to keir that Labour opposed all of the tory benefit reform proposals, could this be hopeful .
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