LAST WEEK, the Labour government suffered a humiliating defeat in its attempt to make billions worth of cuts to PIP. This was a huge victory for all of those disabled people and their allies who campaigned against the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill.

Having said this, the campaign to protect disabled people from devastating cuts continues as the revised Bill still includes the proposal that new universal credit (UC) health element claimants from April 2026 will see their UC health element almost halved and frozen. The health element of UC for new claimants will be reduced to £50 per week. This is projected to have a massive impact on over 150,000 people by 2030, creating a two-tier welfare system which actively discriminates against large numbers of disabled people.

We shouldn’t forget that Labour also has plans to effectively get rid of contribution-based employment support allowance (ESA), which would affect over 500,000 people and deny young disabled people the right to claim the health element of universal credit.

Besides this, we have to fight for the Timms Review of personal independence payments (Pip) to include a genuine co-production with disabled people and their organisations. However, considering the abject failure of the government to consult with the disabled community over its current legislation proposing cuts to benefits, it is safe to assume that the Timms Review will seek to find another route to make cuts to PIP.

Svetlana Kotova, director of campaigns and justice at Inclusion London, has told the Disability News Service that she was distrustful of the government’s motives. She said: “The social security system needs reform, but not like this. It is clear that this was never about reform; it was about balancing the books at the expense of disabled people.

“Removing Pip cuts from the Bill is a positive step, but there is no guarantee the government will be open to true co-production; more likely, they will want us to engage in ‘co-producing cuts.’”

On Friday July 4 there was an online meeting of the Coalition Against Cuts, which had John McDonnell MP in attendance. At the meeting, McDonnell went through some of the amendments which have been tabled for the third reading of the cuts Bill, which will take place next Wednesday June 9.

Richard Burgon MP has apparently tabled an amendment which seeks to remove the cuts to UC for new claimants. While McDonnell has tabled an amendment calling for the government to publish draft primary legislation in response to the Timms review, so that the government cannot use secondary legislation to get any future cuts to Pip through Parliament without any input from MPs.

Another amendment from Labour MP Steve Downie seeks to address the very narrow criteria for someone to be placed in the proposed Severe Conditions Group. As it currently stands, the criteria for the Severe Conditions Group would prevent people with degenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and MS, amongst others, from getting the higher payment and freedom from reassessment when on UC.

The amendment would allow for people with lifelong fluctuating illnesses, who have no prospect of ever working, to be included in the severe conditions group. You can view the amendments to the Bill here.

At the meeting, the protests for next week were discussed. On Wednesday June 9, Disabled People Against Cuts will be holding protests in London in the morning and afternoon. It was agreed that all groups opposed to the cuts should hold joint local protests against the Bill next Wednesday.

Unite Community at a national online meeting this week agreed to hold a national day of action on this day. If you are a member of Unite Community, find out if your local branch is taking action that day and show your solidarity by turning up to support the protest.

It is still not too late to email your MP and point out to them the reasons why they should vote against the revised cuts Bill. Benefits and Work have a list of suggested reasons which you could use, but remember to personalise any message to increase its impact.

The government’s cuts to disability benefits are an attack on the working class of this country, for they seek to impoverish some of the poorest, most vulnerable people in our society. We have built a strong momentum of opposition to the proposed cuts. Now is the time to press on and fight to kill off this despicable Bill.