Tory ministers have broken their manifesto yet again by imposing a £70m “stealth cut” on disabled Brits.
Thousands will lose out on Personal Independence Payments (PIP) after a pledge to change their assessments was torn up.
The 2019 manifesto vowed to double the minimum PIP award, before claimants are reassessed for benefits, to 18 months.
It said the change would “empower and support disabled people”, adding: “You should not have to provide repeated proof of your disability in order to receive support.”
But a Green Paper in summer ditched that pledge, saying “better triaging and testing” will be “more effective”.
Now small print uncovered in the wake of the Budget shows the move will save the government tens of millions of pounds.
That is because claimants will continue to have regular reassessments - which on average reduce their benefits.
It is yet another broken promise after the 2019 dossier pledged to keep the triple lock on pensions, not hike National Insurance, give 0.7% of national income in foreign aid, and ensure no one would have to sell their home to pay for care.
Shadow Women and Equalities Secretary Anneliese Dodds highlighted the cut on International Day for Disabled People.
She wrote to Minister for Disabled People Chloe Smith with questions, including why there was no impact assessment.
Ms Dodds wrote: “Without answers to those questions, it is hard to conclude anything other than that this was a £70m stealth cut to disabled people that the Government was hoping would not be noticed.”
The shadow minister added: “The Government needs to come clean about its plans for a stealth cut to disability benefits buried away in the back of the Budget.
“On International Day for Disabled People, the Government should be acting in their best interests – not trying to sneak yet another cut past them.”
The pledge to guarantee 18-month-long PIP awards was in a costings document attached to the 2019 manifesto.
The Treasury costed scrapping it jointly with a different change to another benefit that will cost the government more money.
Put together, the positive and negative change jointly save the Treasury £15m in 2022/23, £40m in 2023/24 and £15m in 2024/25.
That means the PIP change alone is set to save far more than £70m in the next three years.
The 2019 manifesto document indicated it could be as much as £70m to £80m every single year.
Budget documents, slipped out in October with no fanfare, confirmed: “No longer going ahead with the proposed 18-month minimum PIP award period decreases PIP expenditure.
“This is because some individuals affected will have their award review sooner and the average change at award reviews is a reduction in the award amount.”
That was despite the Green Paper saying it would “explore” and “test” a new triaging system; and “consult with charities and disabled people’s organisations”.
Ms Dodds said: “It looks as if the Government is going behind the backs of disabled people and pushing on with its own preferred plans regardless.”
A DWP spokesperson said: "Reassessing more often ensures people are getting the maximum to which they are entitled as their condition changes.
"But where we know people’s conditions are less likely to change, we are ending reassessments altogether or reassessing less often.”
