In this podcast episode, we return to the government’s recent attempts to make the personal independence payment much harder for disabled people to get.
I speak with renowned benefits journalist Chaminda Jayanetti about the data he sourced which showed who cuts to PIP would really hit – namely, people with conditions like inflammatory arthritis, serious heart conditions and multiple sclerosis.
The government of course happily imagined that the cuts would be felt most by people with autism and mental health problems – the “snowflake” conditions that government doesn’t really rate.
Neither the DWP nor the government bothered looking at the numbers before announcing their plans for PIP. Hope Stephen Timms is thinking about this as he “consults” (ha ha) disabled people in his current review of PIP.
We also talk about the gentrification of mental health and autism – how celebs rattling on about their sufferings and autism as their “superpower” has made mental health issues and conditions like autism appear to be fun, lightweight and lucrative when they’re nothing of the kind.
DWP staff are using the tactic of making a telephone appointment for an assessment and not making the call. To cover this up, the PIP applicant is labelled as not responding. This process of maligning applicants is malicious, designed to make people look bad as if they don’t deserve PIP.
Whilst the Government and public sector concentrate on Autism, the bigger scandal is the isolation of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), twice the prevalence of Autism. FASD is an organic brain injury caused by alcohol in pregnancy. 90% of children in Fostering and Adoption services have FASD but birth history does not follow the child. The public sector are getting away with blaming the adoptive parents because no-one wants to tackle the issue.
That’s a good point. I’ve spoken to a couple of people dealing with the FASD issue. It needs more prominence.
I’ve got inflammatory arthritis (RA) but was turned down for PIP two years ago. I’m claiming Limited Capability for Work and Work Related Activity Universal Credit (LCW&WRA UC) , which replaced the old Incapacity Benefit when IDS & Lord Fraud “simplified” the Social Security system.
As far as I understand it, the new changes this government has introduced will now mean that in order to be able to claim LCW&WRAUC people will have to pass the PIP assessment to get it instead of the WCA that is being scrapped. Effectively this means that two seperate Benefits are being conflated and people are going to be assessed by Disability benefit (DLA/PIP) criteria to claim long-term Sickness benefit (Incapacity/LCW&WRAUC). The obvious result of this will mean that those like myself who have a long-term illness but are not classed as Disabled will be found fit for work.
Trev it never stops does it;? They’re just stripping more and more away. I’m still cleaning at 62, sciatica, arthritis and degenerative disc disease in my neck, just worked 11 days straight no day off and I’m coming to the end of my strength now. I called in sick today with sciatica. It’s not enough to be at the limit of my strength, I’m never going to get better and I ll probably have to fight like u when I finally do drop
You might be able to get on sick by going down the Tribunal route, after going through the initial proccess and being turned down of course, >GP Fit Note(s) for 13 weeks, followed by DWP Assessment, then Mandatory Reconsideration if refused sick status, then Appeal to HMCTS Tribunal. Wait nearly a year for result.
Trev that sounds scarier than cleaning! Meanwhile while UC has gone up by £25 a month so has my rent. My water bill is £7 a month more and my social broadband has gone up £3 a month. Which cancels out the wage rise. I’m on the living wage not the minimum. And of course council tax has gone up too and I have to pay full amount with just the singles discount.
Yeah, my bills have gone up too, notably Council Tax and Water. Food prices are predicted to rise too, mostly due to the orange moron in the Whithouse and his zany middle eastern antics. What gets me though is how foodbanks and street kitchens have become normalized in our Society as though they are just an inevitable part of life.
My UC hasn’t gone up yet this year for some reason. It was supposed to increase by £6 per month as of last month (April) which should therefore be payable this month (May) as UC is paid in arrears, but it is not showing on my payments in my journal. Strange.
DWP refuses to release PIP assessment audit that followed death or serious harm of ‘Customer 23’
By John Pring on 16th April 2026 [DNS]
The government is facing accusations of a cover-up after refusing to release a report that examined the quality of personal independence payment (PIP) assessments, following a sub-standard test linked to the death or serious harm suffered by a disabled claimant.
The audit was ordered in 2020-21 after a secret review by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) into a claimant of personal independence payment (PIP) who either died or suffered serious harm following failings by DWP and one of its contractors.
Disability News Service
https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/dwp-refuses-to-release-pip-assessment-audit-that-followed-death-or-serious-harm-of-customer-23/
Apologies for wandering off topic but with local elections looming it’s important for people to know this (or for the rest of us to confirm our longheld suspicions, as in “surprise, surprise”)
“EXCLUSIVE: Huge blow for Farage as THREE Reform election candidates appear on leaked BNP list”
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/huge-blow-farage-three-reform-37068757
Only 3…?
Shit Hitler, that one. Shitler.
Not off topic at all Trev. It’s all relevant.
Besides deporting foreigners, Reform’s other nonsenical and vindictive policies include swathing cuts to Social Security and to public spending general, as well as cuts to Taxes, which is at odds with their other beliefs in recruiting extra Police, and building more prisons which of course would require higher Taxation to pay for it !
Snake oil, anyone?
Reform councillor ‘brought party into disrepute’
“A newly elected Reform UK councillor has been suspended pending an investigation into social media posts “which have brought the party into disrepute”.
Nathaniel Menday was elected to represent the Woodhouse ward on Sheffield City Council in last week’s local elections.
According to reports, Menday is said to have shared photos on X of a Nazi flag with a swastika on it and an image of Hitler’s Mein Kampf, as well as suggesting the UK has a “subhuman underclass”. ”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd0pd27kzgzo
As shocking as this is, what’s more shocking to me is that thousands of people voted for this awful party. We’re living in scary times and it’s not good.
“Welfare bill will NOT be included in government’s King’s Speech”
“It means that any new legislation on welfare will not even be introduced to Parliament until mid-2027 at the earliest, despite the policy area being one of the government’s main priorities.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgplx9vzq2o
As you were….
King’s speech includes SEND legislation but plans for more disability benefit cuts are dropped… for now
By John Pring on 14th May 2026 DNS
The government included a bill to reform the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system in yesterday’s king’s speech, but it also signalled a delay to any plans for further cuts to disability benefits.
The education for all bill follows the publication of a schools and SEND white paper and a SEND consultation document in February.
Background notes released yesterday (Wednesday) show the bill will mirror the white paper, even though a consultation on the government’s plans does not end until Monday.
Read More: Disability News Service
https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/kings-speech-includes-send-legislation-but-plans-for-more-disability-benefit-cuts-are-dropped-for-now/
We have had 6 PM’s in 16 years since Universal Credit Welfare Reform Flag Ship roll out in 2010. Yet again it is political suicide not to scrap UC. How many more PM’s will fall victim to continuing flogging the dead horse of UC. The cost of living crisis steams from UC. UC creates food banks, death & suicide to many. Sanctions on UC are a death sentence to the cost of living.
What needs to be highlighted is the PM’s own ward of Camden, that was almost lost to the Green Party in the local elections. To continue Tory policies was not the smartest move.
The problem Reform have is they have to distance themselves from their voters. Work that one out !! Outspoken no proof reading on Social Media Posts. There will be no Reform Party at the next General Election. It is called imploding in fighting & criminal acts.
Since it has failed with Donald ‘Duck’ Trump in the US, the UK is not far behind following the US way of failure.
Fears of another safeguarding catastrophe after DWP stops benefits of nearly 23,000 ESA claimants
By John Pring on 14th May 2026 DNS
New government figures show nearly 23,000 disabled people have failed to “migrate” from employment and support allowance to universal credit and have had their benefit claims closed, raising concerns over whether many of them have been left destitute.
Disabled campaigners warned this week that the figures highlighted an “appalling safeguarding failure”, with many claimants harassed through the migration process, and unable to cope, and fears that thousands of disabled people could have been left without any income-related support from the state.
The figures were released this week by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), although the department did not make it easy to access them*.
Read More: Disability News Service:
https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/fears-of-another-safeguarding-catastrophe-after-dwp-stops-benefits-of-nearly-23000-esa-claimants/
It seems like Labour are trying to out do the Tories in disabled deaths. Or should we call it suicide !!! The Tories got to at least 2,500 disabled legally political suicides death, now Labour have beaten that by a huge amount with over 20,000 disabled political suicides. When you call it Pre Meditated Corporate Man Slaughter there is nowhere to hide behind Corporate Man Slaughter. So politicians & their contractors are legally liable to face the charges. As the politicians say it is a political matter. We have had 6 PM’s that have fallen victim to Universal Credit. Until Universal Credit is scrapped there will many PM’s that will fall victim to Universal Credit. That is all well & said but how many disabled people have to die before Universal Credit is scrapped.
The Great Universal Credit Scandal will take down every Government until they learn not to play games with Disabled peoples lives & playing God in death. The death wish with a political slogan of contempt of life.
Disability is not a political issue, but disability suicides seem to be a political issue with whatever Government is in power.
Lord Fraud & Iain Duncan Smith are guilty of War Crimes with the War Against the disabled. Another cover up by the British Empire like the Thalidomide scandal.