Robert Jenrick proposes £50 billion welfare cuts by abolishing disability payments

Robert Jenrick, the Treasury spokesman for Reform UK, has unveiled a radical welfare reform plan that would save £50 billion a year by drastically reducing disability and sickness benefits for millions of working-age claimants. The proposal, published in The Telegraph, would abolish Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and the health element of Universal Credit for working-age adults. Instead, low-level conditions would no longer receive cash payments, replaced by disability support accounts managed by local councils and mayors to fund equipment, adaptations, transport, and personal assistance. Jenrick argued that the current system has created a culture of dependence, pointing out that the share of working-age people claiming benefits for mental health and behavioural issues has tripled since 2002. He described the system as 'suicidal empathy' that dooms people to a life of reliance on the state. The plan would reassess existing claimants over three to four years, with an estimated 2.16 million keeping their full cash entitlement, while 2.89 million would see their payments modified or withdrawn, focusing on areas where benefit claims have grown most rapidly. Jenrick emphasized that this is not an epidemic of physical disabilities, as 6.9 million people currently receive disability benefits, but rather a surge in mental health-related claims. The proposal comes amid intense political debate over welfare spending, with the Conservative Party under Kemi Badenoch pledging £23 billion in savings, while Labour has retreated from cuts after a backbench revolt. Reform UK's plan would more than double the Conservative savings, with £22 billion coming from disability benefit changes alone. Jenrick's intervention follows Reform's recent difficulties, including a chaotic by-election in Clacton and questions about Nigel Farage's finances. The party aims to position itself as the most aggressive on welfare reform, arguing that the state must support those in genuine need but should not encourage dependency. The proposal has sparked immediate reactions, with Conservative sources criticizing Reform for flip-flopping on welfare issues and claiming their plans are insufficient. The debate highlights the growing pressure on the UK government to address rising welfare costs and the increasing number of young people not in work, education, or training, known as NEETs. Jenrick's plan represents a significant shift in welfare policy, proposing a move away from cash payments towards service-based support, and it is likely to be a major point of contention in the upcoming political landscape.