WORK AND PENSIONS Secretary Liz Kendall is making changes to her package of welfare reforms in a desperate attempt to reassure Labour MPs who are considering rebelling against the plans.
Kendall has tried to soften the impact of planned benefits cuts of up to £5bn a year by 2030, before MPs vote on the government’s welfare changes.
The Welfare Reform Bill will include proposals to make it harder for disabled people with less severe conditions to claim a personal independence payment (Pip).
The BBC has been told anybody who loses Pip will receive the payment for a transitional period of 13 weeks, rather than the usual four weeks, before it is removed.
Carer’s Allowance will continue to be paid during the 13-week transition, but will be ended when Pip is taken away.
Benefits recipients with the most severe health conditions will not be reassessed and will receive extra income support through a universal credit payment.
A scheme to give disabled people a right to seek and try employment without the risk of losing their benefits will also be introduced, at the same time as the welfare reform bill.
Kendall has described these additions as ‘non-negotiable’ protections, which will be added to the bill before it is published next week.
The ‘protections’ were proposed in the government’s Pathways to Work Green Paper, and consulted on, before Kendall decided to add them to the bill.
She told the Guardian newspaper: ‘When we set out our reforms, we promised to protect those most in need, particularly those who can never work.
‘I know from my 15 years as a constituency MP how important this is. It is something I take seriously and will never compromise on.
‘That is why we are putting additional protections on the face of the Bill to support the most vulnerable and help people affected by the changes.
‘These protections will be written into law, a clear sign they are non-negotiable.’
