IAIN DUNCAN SMITH fell foul of the courts yet again yesterday when a judge ruled that delays paying new benefits to two disabled claimants were both “unacceptable” and “unlawful.”
The High Court was told at a recent hearing that vulnerable people had been forced to turn to loan sharks and foodbanks due to delays in providing them with the personal independence payment (PIP).
PIP is designed to help disabled adults meet the extra costs caused by disability and is replacing the disability living allowance (DLA) as part of the Tories’ overhaul of the benefits system.
DYLAN MURPHY reports that far from helping people back into work, the sanctions regime is inflicting unnecessary trauma on working-class families
Labour will find increases in the state pension age are unacceptable, just as cuts to the Winter Fuel Allowance, personal independence payments and universal credit are — it needs to change direction immediately, writes PCS general secretary FRAN HEATHCOTE
In the current climate, it is vital to bust the myths and put forward the case for a humane and decent social security system that supports people, argues FRAN HEATHCOTE



