Press play to watch/listen to “Living with Multiple Sclerosis in the Face of Welfare Cuts” or scroll to continue reading.

As someone living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), I know firsthand the physical, emotional, and financial challenges that come with a progressive illness. The UK government’s latest welfare reforms, particularly the proposed cuts to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and changes to incapacity benefits, are deeply worrying for disabled people like me.

These changes could strip away essential financial support that helps me—and many others—manage our conditions and maintain independence.

The Cuts at a Glance:

• 800,000 disabled people could lose an average of £4,500 per year
• 400,000 disabled people expected to lose PIP
• 50,000 children pushed into poverty
• Universal Credit health top-up slashed by 50% (frozen at £50 per week until 2030)
• Work Capability Assessment (WCA) abolished in 2028, raising fears over access to support

These changes don’t “help” disabled people—they force us into poverty, hardship, and isolation.

Living with MS means dealing with unpredictable symptoms, including mobility issues, fatigue, cognitive difficulties, and chronic pain. Many of us rely on PIP to cover the extra costs of disability, such as:

Accessible Transport – Losing Independence

• Many disabled people can’t drive or use public transport easily. Cuts to PIP and mobility benefits mean:
• Losing Motability cars, which provide vital independence
• No financial help for wheelchair-accessible vehicles, hand controls, or hoists
• Increased reliance on expensive taxis or unreliable public transport

Without mobility support, many disabled people will be housebound.

Specialist Equipment – No Longer Affordable

• Disability-related costs are already high. Losing PIP means many won’t be able to afford:
• Wheelchairs, stairlifts, and mobility aids
• Essential medical equipment, like adjustable beds or hoists
• Prosthetics, orthotic supports, or specialist hearing aids

This isn’t about luxury—it’s about basic needs.

Home Adaptations – Making Daily Life Harder

• Many disabled people rely on home adaptations to live independently. With benefits being cut, we may lose:
• Wheelchair ramps and widened doorways
• Accessible bathrooms with grab rails and wet rooms
• Lowered kitchen counters for wheelchair users

Without these, many could be forced into care homes, costing the government even more in the long run.

Higher Energy Bills – A Hidden Cost of Disability

• Many disabled people have higher energy needs, but are now at risk of fuel poverty. Cuts mean:
• Needing heating year-round to ease symptoms of conditions like MS, arthritis, and fibromyalgia
• Higher electricity use for medical devices, electric wheelchairs, or oxygen machines
• Relying on dishwashers, tumble dryers, and energy-saving appliances due to mobility issues

Without financial support, many will have to choose between eating and heating.

Carers, Cleaners & Dog Walkers – Unaffordable Support

• Many disabled people rely on others for daily tasks. Losing benefits could mean:
• No money for carers or personal assistants, leading to neglect
• Struggling to afford cleaners, making it harder to maintain hygiene and a safe home
• Losing support from dog walkers, making assistance animals inaccessible for some

These cuts don’t just hurt disabled people—they burden families and local services.

2. Risk of Being Forced Into Work Despite Health Barriers

The government has suggested stricter work capability assessments to push more disabled people into employment. While many of us want to work, MS is an unpredictable condition—some days I feel well enough to work, other days I can barely get out of bed.

If the government removes or reduces incapacity benefits, it could leave people with fluctuating conditions like MS in an impossible situation:

• Forced to work when physically unable, risking health deterioration.
• Losing financial support because of “good days”, even though MS symptoms vary.
• Struggling to find flexible employers who understand disability needs.

3. Mental Health Struggles and Increased Isolation

Living with MS already comes with a heavy mental burden—coping with chronic pain, fatigue, and loss of independence is tough. The stress of benefit cuts will only add to the anxiety and depression that many disabled people already experience.

Losing financial independence can also mean:

• Less access to social activities due to travel and mobility costs.
• Increased isolation as disabled people are forced to stay home more.
• More pressure on family caregivers, leading to burnout.

The government should be supporting disabled people to live independently, not making life harder by cutting essential benefits.

4. The Appeal System: Another Uphill Battle

In previous benefit cuts, thousands of disabled people have had to fight through lengthy appeals to get their rightful support reinstated. With MS being a fluctuating and often invisible illness, proving disability to assessors is already difficult. These new reforms will likely lead to more unfair assessments, leaving disabled people without support while they fight long and stressful appeals.

What Can We Do?

If you’re affected by these welfare cuts, you’re not alone. Here’s what we can do:

• Speak up: Contact your MP, sign petitions, and support disability rights organisations.
• Seek advice: Organisations like Citizens Advice, Scope, Turn2Us, and MS Society offer guidance on benefits and appeals.
• Share your story: The more we highlight real-life impacts, the harder it becomes for the government to ignore us.

Final Thoughts

These latest welfare reforms are not just numbers on a spreadsheet—they represent real people like me, struggling to manage the daily challenges of MS while fearing for our financial future. Cutting benefits for disabled people doesn’t promote independence—it increases hardship, mental health struggles, and inequality.

We deserve a system that supports, not punishes, those of us who fight battles daily. Let’s stand together and push back against these unfair changes. #WelfareNotWarfare

Are you or a loved one affected by the welfare reforms? Share your thoughts in the comments and let’s raise awareness together.

Rach!xx

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On Wednesday 26^th March Disabled People Against Cuts, Deaf and Disabled benefit claimants from across the country will descend on London as part ofNational Action to demand “Welfare Not Warfare” in protest against the Spring Statement and proposed £5bn cut to welfare spending outlined by the Department for Work and Pensions in their Green Paper ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to get Britain Working’ Green Paper’.

Linda Burnip, Co-Founder of Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC), said “Labour should be ashamed of their proposed cuts which will push Disabled people into even greater poverty and destitution and cause many more to kill themselves. Disabled people will not allow themselves to be made scapegoats for Robber Reeves cuts while millionaires remain untouched by cuts.”

The London protest, titled “Balls to the Spring Statement” is being organised by Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC), Inclusion London and Stop the War Coalition and supported by many other campaign groups and trade unions will meet outside Downing Street in Whitehall at 11 am before marching towards Parliament to join up with a protest organised by Homes for All.

Actors Cherylee Houston (Izzy Armstrong in Coronation Street) and Lisa Hammond (Vera and previously in Eastenders) will address the protest along with campaigners, trade unionists and politicians. There will also be music from John Kelly who sang at the Paralympic Games opening ceremony in London in 2012.

The London protest is part of national action led by Deaf and Disabled people and allies that includes protests in Edinburgh, Cardiff, Derry, Norwich, Manchester, Exeter, Leeds, Bristol and many other locations across the country. There will also be online protest activities for those unable to leave their homes.

Published on Tuesday 18^th March 2025, the “reforms” proposed in Green Paper will cut essential income from millions of the poorest Deaf and Disabled people and our families.

The Rt Hon John McDonnell who is the Independent MP for Hayes and Harlington and a long time supporter of DPAC who will be speaking at the protest said, “Disabled people are facing the biggest cuts to their benefits in a decade, causing immense harm. Full support to DPAC which is standing up against this attack.“

The Secretary of State Liz Kendall has justified the cuts by saying they will incentivise more people into employment. However, the majority of the savings attached to the cuts will affect Personal Independence Payment (PIP) which is a non-mean-tested benefit. Disabled people in work say cuts to PIP will force them to stop work.

Actor Cherylee Houston said: “There are over 16 million Disabled people in the UK. Just over three million of those currently receive PIP. These are those who are most in need from my community. PIP is used by many of us to stay in work and cover the extra costs that disability causes. My community is terrified that the Government is taking away the most basic support that those most in need rely on. The majority of unpaid carers are also Disabled and they rely on Carer’s Allowance which is linked to PIP to survive and this saves the Government a huge amount. It makes no sense to take away the basic supports that enable Disabled people to contribute to society. These cuts will trap more people in poverty. I am already hearing from friends that they fear they will no longer be able to work if these cuts go ahead.”

Other savings attached to the proposals will be achieved through cuts to out of work disability benefits for those officially found unfit for work.

Proposals to change the Work Capability Assessment proposed by the previous government, quashed through a successful legal challenge against a consultation ruled by the high court to have been “rushed”, “misleading” and “unfair”, would have hit 457,000 Disabled people by 2028/9, pushing another 100,000 Disabled households into absolute poverty while moving only 3% of those affected into employment.

Kirsty Blackman, MP for Aberdeen North, “The UK Government should be listening to the lived experience and voices of Disabled people. They know best the hardship they are facing and the devastating impact these cuts will have. As the cost-of-living sky rockets, cutting money from Disabled people is the worst decision the Government can take. They must think again and we will use every method we can to ensure they do so.”

Clive Lewis Labour MP for Norwich South, who has been vocally against the reforms said immediately after Kendall’s speech in Parliament announcing the cuts: “When she made the decision to go down this route did they understand the pain and difficulty this will cause for millions of people who are using food banks and social supermarkets, people who are on the brink. These 5 billion cuts will impact them more than I think her department is giving credit for… As things stand my constituents, my family, my friends are very angry about this.” 

Campaigners believe that the £5bn per year in savings targeted by the government through the cuts will be difficult to achieve and may well end up costing more in the long run, leading to heavy additional pressures on the NHS and on mental health, homelessness and social care services.

Arun Veerappan, Interim Director of Research at the Disability Policy Centre said, “As it stands, the Government’s sums don’t add up and these reforms are unlikely to both help disabled people and save the taxpayer money… Tightening PIP eligibility, for example, has been tried before by previous Governments and proposals have either been ruled unlawful, proved too complex or abandoned as unworkable.”

Campaigners have also questioned whether the impact on the economy of such large-scale costs have been properly thought through.

Ellen Clifford, Co-Ordinator of the UK Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations Monitoring Coalition said: “Everything given to Disabled people in benefits goes straight back into the economy because we spend everything we are given on essentials. The scale of these cuts are simply and terrifyingly enormous. The consequences for society will be immense and the human cost will be devastating. Labour is making an unimaginably big mistake and it’s the poorest and most disadvantaged of us who will be left paying for it generations to come.”

Campaigners are calling on the Government to scrap their plans and to work in co-production with benefit claimants and PCS union which represents frontline DWP workers tasked with implementing any changes to the social security system.

Sophia Kleanthous from the Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisation Inclusion London said: “Despite the Labour Party pledge for years to “work in co-production with Disabled people in developing policy” in Summer last year they dropped this from their manifesto. We are concerned from the released Pathways to Work Green Paper consultation that this has not been co-produced with Disabled people’s organisations and Disabled people.”

Martin Cavanagh, National President of PCS union said: “PCS are absolutely behind DPAC and other campaign groups in their fight to oppose these cruel cuts to disability benefits. The government should be investing in social security, not slashing the benefits bill for those most in need.”

The Welfare Not Warfare protest will be demanding no more attacks on Disabled people, no increase in military spending and social security and homes for all.

Morag Gillie, Chair of Homes for All (HfA) says: “The scale of the housing emergency and the failure to build council housing has created shameful hardship and substandard housing. We are shocked that a labour government is now attacking disabled people who are facing savage cuts to disability benefits. We believe that the fight for housing & disability rights are inextricably linked, and this united action on March 26 helps to build the urgent opposition that we need.”

Chris Nineham, from Stop the War Coalition said that, “This budget means a drive to war abroad and a war against the most disadvantaged by society at home. It has to be challenged openly, energetically and on all fronts.”

END

Contact details:
UK and England: Ellen Clifford 07505 144 371 [SMS/whatsapp]; ellenclifford277@gmail.com
UK and Scotland: John McArdle 07379 612 778 [SMS/whatsapp]
Wales: Joe Powell 07972 516 328
Northern Ireland: Michael Lorimer 07528 464 350

Notes for Editors

·         Scope estimates that Disabled people on average face additional unavoidable disability-related expenditure of £1067 per month. PIP is a non means-tested benefit designed to contribute towards these extra costs.

·         The Government has not published the equality impact assessment for the Green Paper proposals. These are expected to be available after the Chancellor has given the Spring Statement. Until then we can only speculated how many hundreds of thousands of Disabled people will be affected and how badly.

·         It is estimated that through the Government’s proposed Personal Independence (PIP) cuts, between 800,000 and 1.2 million Disabled people will lose between £4200 and £6300 a year by 2029 to 2030 (Resolution Foundation, 2025).

·         Claimants and their families who lose eligibility for PIP will also lose eligibility for Carer’s Allowance and other passported entitlements.

·         According to the proposals, from 2028-29, getting PIP will be the factor that determines whether you get the health element of UC – meaning there will be no support specifically for Disabled people unable to work. Those who would otherwise qualify for the health element of UC – but not PIP (currently 600,000 people) – will therefore not get the element and be worse off by £2,400 per year (today’s prices; assuming they are new claimants who would otherwise have got the reduced health element

·         If the cuts to PIP are taken together with the Government’s proposals to scrap the Work Capability Assessment and replace current out of work disability benefits with a new “health” component of Universal Credit with eligibility tied to PIP, some claimants risk losing £9600 per year.

·         The current PIP fraud figures are 0% according to the DWP’s Fraud and Error in the Benefits System Annual Report of 2024, so the government’s crackdown on benefit fraud and its impact is inconsistent with the figures and very low rates of PIP fraud.

·         According to the Purple Pound, whose report into the true cost in accessing retail services for Disabled people, in 2024, UK retail sales reached £517 billion, £274 billion of this was spent by Disabled people and their families, so over 50% of the total retail sales in the UK.

·         The full list of campaigns and trade unions supporting the Welfare Not Warfare national action include: Acorn, Black Triangle campaign, Disability Rights UK, Disabled People Against Cuts, DPAC Northern Ireland, Equity, Free Our People campaign, Fuel Poverty Action, HFL Tenants, Homes for All, Housing Inclusion Hackney, Inclusion London, Keep Our NHS Public, London Renters’ Union, Manchester RAPAR, National Education Union, National Union of Journalists, Not Dead Yet UK, PCS union, People’s Assembly, Shape, Social Housing Action Group, Stand up to Racism, Stop the War Coalition, TUC Disabled Workers’ Committee, UK Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations (DDPO) Monitoring Coalition, We Demand Change, Winvisible