I have had a reply from my MP to my email based on the one shared here (by @SerendipityJane? Sorry if not). Here it is with identifiers removed. It’s thorough and does a better job with comms than the actual government, though it doesn’t really answer the complaints I raised very well.
Thank you for contacting me about the upcoming reforms to the disability benefits system.
As your local MP, I can assure you that I take the view of constituents sincerely, even when we may not fully agree, and I will of course convey specific concerns and questions to Ministers as your constituency MP.
Throughout my 12 years as MP for xxxx, I have worked with many different groups who support vulnerable constituents. For example, I recently met with local DWP teams to better understand how I can support their work. Likewise, I recently visited a charity dedicated to supporting individuals who have suffered brain injuries - and was able to hear all about and raise awareness of the crucial work that they do.
After 14 years of damaging rhetoric on benefits and cuts from the previous government, people are understandably fearful when they hear about changes to the benefits system. Unfortunately, some of the recent media coverage has also created worries which are not borne out by the details of the changes. I want to be clear up front that the reforms announced by the government will not result in any immediate changes to anyone’s benefits.
I believe that we need a welfare system that is there for all of us when we need it, now and in the future, that protects those most in need, and that delivers equality and dignity for all. There will always be some people who cannot work, and I assure you that we will protect them.
However, the broken welfare system we inherited from the previous government is failing many of the very people it was designed to help, and is holding our country back. Many sick and disabled people want to work with appropriate support and accessibility improvements, and they deserve the same choices and chances as everyone else to do so.
Instead, the last government wrote off hundreds of thousands of people and blamed them for an unsustainable rising benefits bill. Instead of providing people the support they needed to get into work, they prioritised cheap headlines. Where people can work, this government will give them the support to do so, while protecting those who can’t.
I’m proud that the government is already tackling the drivers of people being out of work and supporting people into good jobs. We’re investing an additional £26 billion in the NHS to drive down waiting lists and they have been falling in Wales too, making work pay with our landmark Employment Rights Bill, and introducing the biggest reforms to employment support in a generation, with our £240 million Get Britain Working Plan. Wages are rising and investment in our economy is growing.
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has announced that we’re going even further, investing £1 billion into employment support. This is one of the largest ever investments in support to increase opportunities to work for sick and disabled people, guaranteeing high-quality, tailored support to get people on a Pathway to Work. Good work is good for people’s incomes, health and ability to live independently. That’s why we will provide the support people need to find the right jobs.
I’d like to highlight a few of these measures that I believe will make a significant difference to our country and people’s life chances:
First, we are addressing the perverse financial incentives that hold people back from work under the current system by rebalancing the payments in Universal Credit. This means that we are increasing the standard allowance above inflation for the first time ever, with a £775 cash increase per year by 2029/30 for existing and new claimants, while reducing the health top-up for new claims from April 2026, alongside active support to help people back to health and work (also assisted by our investments in the NHS).
Alongside this, we will remove barriers by ensuring that going back to work in and of itself will never lead to a reassessment. This ‘right to try’ will give people the confidence to take on a job knowing that if it doesn’t work out, they won’t have to start from scratch.
In addition, we are consulting on a new unemployment insurance that will help people quickly get back on track if they fall out of work, giving them a higher rate of benefit.
It’s also important to point out the measures we have announced to protect those who are most in need. We will protect existing Universal Credit claimants by holding their health top-up steady in cash terms while they benefit from the higher standard allowance. We are also scrapping the Work Capability Assessment.
We are also looking at ways to ensure that those who will never be able to work are afforded confidence and dignity, by never having to go through reassessments, and proposing an additional Universal Credit premium to offer those people the support they need.
I hope that I have helped to answer your questions and provide some reassurance, but please let my team know if there’s anything we can do to support you in your specific circumstances. My team and I help hundreds of constituents a year, including with disability-related matters such as the Work Capability Assessment (which I should reiterate is going to be scrapped entirely). Rest assured that we will continue to be here to help as we have always been.
And if you would like to share your views on these changes with the government directly, you can access the public consultation here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/pathways-to-work-reforming-benefits-and-support-to-get-britain-working-green-paper
With thanks for writing to me on such important matters with candour.