Tomorrow Tuesday 22 July is the last stage of the hated Universal Credit Bill. It cuts in half the disability addition to Universal Credit, for 1.6 million newly sick and disabled claimants. You can use this template letter here to send to selected members of the House of Lords. It details some of the changes and impacts of the Bill. The Bill also attacks the importance of the Substantial risk to health protection for claimants. Tanni Grey-Thompson and Jane Campbell both visited the protests at Parliament recently. We’re determined to defend our benefit rights — … Read more
WinVisible / Disabled Mothers’ Rights Campaign at the protest in Parliament Square, 30 June Ongoing protests and pressure on MPs has meant the disability movement won big changes to Labour’s vicious Universal Credit and PIP Bill. The PIP cuts will be dropped for now. We need to increase the pressure! Protests continue, as the government is still planning to cut Universal Credit disability payment by half to new sick and disabled claimants (unable to do waged work) from April 2026. This includes, for example, women undergoing chemo after breast cancer surgery. The Bill is being … Read more
We refuse to be divided by the government into current claimants who will be OK and future claimants who will lose. The Universal Credit and PIP Bill cuts disability benefits massively — as well as connected carers’ benefits, Council Tax Support, rent allowance for wheelchair users, and protection from the total benefit cap, which particularly hits disabled mothers and children. For current claimants, the benefits system reviews our PIP and Universal Credit entitlement, some people are cut off and have to apply again under the new rules. We’re quoted in the Guardian today: ‘Worse than … Read more
The impact on women of the government’s hated disability benefit cuts is coming out more, including in a new article by Guardian journalist Frances Ryan. Read it here. WinVisible is among organisations calling out sexism in the humiliating PIP test and how women’s needs are downgraded. We comment: “Women are angry that Sir Stephen Timms said needing help to ‘cut up food, shower and dress the entire lower half of the body, and needing assistance to use the toilet’ are ‘low-level functional needs that can better be solved with aids and adaptations’. Disabled women are … Read more
We’re looking forward to taking part this Wednesday 18 June at 7pm, kindly invited by Brent Trades Council to their No to Austerity 2.0 event. The day of the disability benefit cuts Bill. Come along in person to Chalkhill Community Centre (wheelchair accessible), 113 Chalkhill Road, HA9 9FX. Near Wembley Park tube (step free station) on the Jubilee line. OR register for online on Eventbrite page here. Auto captions will be enabled on Zoom. Speakers include: Sarah Kilpatrick (tbc), National Education Union (NEU) President Sarah Woolley, General Sec of the Bakers Union Clive Tickner, Communication … Read more
On Saturday 31 May, we took part in a lively community protest at Stratford Station against Sir Stephen Timms, minister for Social Security and Disability and MP for East Ham, who is bringing forward the proposed cuts to PIP and Universal Credit disability payment. It was called by Disabled People Against Cuts with support from East London Unite Community, Stand Up for Your Rights and other groups, and attended by several independent councillors from East London. People gathered outside Stratford Station. Cardboard cutouts of Stephen Timms and benefits thief Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who vowed to … Read more
On 21 May, we joined a large number of disabled people, family carers and concerned people who came to Parliament, lobbying MPs to refuse Labour’s cuts to disability benefits. Some of us were also outside with our banners and placards, showing our determination to defend our benefit rights. Some of us took action from home, emailing MPs with our personal messages. The lobby was organised jointly by the Coalition Against Benefit Cuts, Disability Rights UK, Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) and others. People from all over the UK, including from Black Triangle Scotland and DPAC … Read more
Come and join this event in Parliament, where people are calling on their MPs to reject the government’s disability benefit cuts. People will be gathering to meet each other and take photos as well. ** Wednesday 21 May — 1pm to 4pm **at Parliament SW1A 0AA – in Westminster Hall, Jubilee Room Station: Westminster tube (step-free) Organised by: Coalition Against Benefit Cuts, Disabled People Against Cuts, Disability Rights UK, WellAdapt. Co-sponsors: Richard Burgon MP and Neil Duncan Jordan MP. WinVisible is joining with disabled women/people and organisations in Westminster Hall, showing MPs we’re determined to … Read more
Thanks to everyone on our contingent for the Day of Action on Wednesday 26 March! It was so encouraging to be with everyone who came out. We’re sharing some of the widespread publicity — which shows the growing refusal of the government’s plans for terrible disability benefit cuts, while they are hiking up spending on the military budget. Some of us could not go on the day, but people are doing lots from home, such as being active on social media, writing to your local paper (you can ask for your name to be kept … Read more
by Frankie Lister-Fell Credit: Camden New Journal Thursday 27 March, page 6 “People are going to die” as a result of the disability benefit cuts, a Camden-based disabled rights group warned this week. Hundreds of people turned up outside No.10 yesterday (Wednesday 26 March) to throw bouncy balls at the big iron gates outside the PM’s Downing Street office. They yelled “balls to the budget”. They were protesting against the government’s announcement to cut welfare benefits for the disabled, which would mean 1.2 million people would lose their Personal Independence Payments (PIP) among other controversial … Read more