DWP minister asked question 3 times by Susanna Reid before admitting PIP change

Alison McGovern has responded to claims that the Department for Work and Pensions is readying to chopped Personal Independence Payments

A authorities curate yet answered a cardinal question impacting much than 3.3 cardinal radical who assertion Personal Independence payments aft being asked it 3 times by Good Morning Britain big Susanna Reid.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has antecedently hinted astatine a "strong lawsuit to alteration the strategy of wellness and disablement benefits crossed Great Britain". With Chancellor Rachel Reeves facing a important summation successful the UK's borrowing costs, it is believed that savings request to beryllium recovered successful the benefits budget.

Concerns are increasing that the 3.3 cardinal radical connected PIPs could beryllium targeted. Host Susanna Reid questioned Minister for Employment Alison McGovern astir the anticipation of reducing Personal Independence Payments (PIPs) for individuals: "I privation to inquire you astir different radical of radical who consciousness similar you're going to instrumentality wealth distant from them, and these aren't fraudsters, these are radical with disabilities surviving connected PIPs idiosyncratic independency payments."

The amusement besides featured disablement campaigner and histrion Sam Renke, who expressed her concerns: "I conjecture that our authorities doesn't spot america arsenic a drain and a burden, and alternatively of really making america consciousness similar we're surviving connected eggshells, really put successful us, alternatively than, you know, the of america perpetually surviving successful the fearfulness of things being taken away, it's arsenic elemental arsenic that."

Susanna added: “Sam Renke says each clip a brownish envelope comes done her door, she thinks it’s going to beryllium your section saying we’re cutting your PIP.” Ms McGovern said a process of ‘reassessing people’s payments’ was presently taking place.

She said: “So I recognize that I’ve listened to my ain constituents who are fearful and don’t spot DWP and a batch of the changes that we privation to marque is to assistance and enactment radical successful a amended mode truthful that we tin woody with that. I privation disabled radical to person the close to enactment and the close to dignity and respect, similar everybody else.”

Susanna asked: “Are you going to reassess PIP payments for people?” Ms McGovern replied: “We person already enactment guardant successful a achromatic insubstantial however we’re changing our employment enactment work truthful that we tin assistance radical determination into work.” Susanna asked again: “Are you reassessing their PIP payments?” Ms McGovern said: “So with regards to wellness and disablement benefits. The erstwhile authorities did a consultation connected this that, you know, wasn’t done good astatine each and has been into the courts.

“We volition bring guardant our ain proposals and we person a greenish insubstantial coming. The Minister for Disabled people, Stephen Timms is moving with disabled radical and establishing a caller sheet truthful that we tin perceive to radical decently arsenic we bash this.” Susanna asked for the 3rd time: “Are you reassessing people’s PIP payments?” Richard Madeley added: “Are you gonna chopped them?“

Ms McGovern said: “Well, we volition bring guardant a greenish insubstantial to sermon what the aboriginal volition be, due to the fact that astatine the infinitesimal the strategy doesn’t enactment for anybody. The enactment capableness appraisal that’s portion of the Universal Credit strategy is simply a failure. It doesn’t enactment for radical who request to entree that support. With regards to PIP, it’s not moving either, truthful we request to alteration the system.

“But we privation to bash that with disabled radical and that’s wherefore we’re, listening, and we volition enactment guardant our ideas successful a greenish insubstantial that we tin speech to radical astir and that truthful that we tin marque this strategy work. But supra each else, we’ve got to marque definite that disabled radical person respect and tin enactment and that we, arsenic Sam said, rather rightly, we worth their publication similar everybody other successful this society.”