Benefits Bill –  a partial win?

02 July 2025

Yesterday the Second Reading of the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill was held in the House of Commons. The Second Reading traditionally is the first opportunity for MPs to debate the parts of the bill. As we explained in our earlier article (LINK) there had been a lot of media attention on the criticism from disabled people and the organisations that serve them as well as ‘rebel’ MPs who were against the bill. The final part of the Second Reading is to allow MPs to vote on the Bill and whether it should continue on the process.

Given that over 120 MPs signed up to challenging the bill, this was an important vote on whether the Bill should continue. The final vote at 7:30pm on Tuesday night was in favour for the Bill to continue but with one very important change: the amendments to the Personal Independence Payment eligibility criteria have been cut. This means that the Bill is effectively only changing the rate of pay for those in receipt of Universal Credit health element from April 2026 onwards.

Stephen Timms, Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions), announced to the House of Commons that they would remove the part of the Bill that changes PIP eligibility and would move straight to the review of the assessment process.

This has to be a sigh of relief for many individuals utilising their Personal Independence Payment to manage the additional living costs due to their disability. Whilst we must accept that this is a partial win, it is important to reflect on what has changed and the possibility of this coming back in the future.

The Bill still proposes significant changes to Universal Credit and reduces the amount of money individuals with health conditions can claim from April 2026 onwards. Whilst it does not affect people who are currently in receipt of Universal Credit, there is still the possibility of a ‘two tiered system’ where people currently in receipt get almost twice the amount that people who become entitled next year would get.

The Disability Benefits Consortium, of which NRAS is a member organisation, have commented on the Universal Credit point:

“On 1 July, the government was forced to concede major changes to the dangerous and flawed Welfare Bill, thanks to campaigning by disabled people, organisations and charities across the UK, as well as MPs who listened.

The UK government failed to present any rationale for cutting eligibility for PIP, other than a desire to cut costs. So we are delighted that PIP changes – rather than cuts – will now be subject to a process of consultation with disabled people and those with long term conditions, as they always should have been. 

However, the cut to the Universal Credit health element has still been voted through which will push the poorest disabled people further into poverty. We urge the government to go further and stop this damaging change.

We will continue to work with the disabled community to urge MPs to stop the dangerous Universal Credit cuts in the bill and continue to press the government to review those plans. Any reformed system needs to be co-produced with charities and disabled people’s organisations. Disabled people and those living with long-term conditions deserve so much more.”

Sue Christoforou – Co Chair of DBC

Finally, there is still a lot of unease about the possibility of changes to Personal Independence Payment in the future. We have been assured that the Government will consult with disabled people and the organisations that represent them when conducting the review of the assessment process. It is said that the review will happen by Autumn 2026 and that changes to PIP eligibility activity and descriptor would only happen after that review. This means that there is still a potential for PIP to be restricted or eligibility rules to be changed but that the fight will be sometime next year.

Here at NRAS we are committed to advocating for those living with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis in all aspects of health and policy. We will engage with any consultation or review process whilst also continuing to call for the proposed benefit cuts to be scrapped. At every stage we are committed to ensuring our members are updated with any news.

If you wish to share your story or any other information, please contact campaigns@nras.org.uk and quote “Benefits” in any email.