As criticism grow over Labour’s planned benefit cuts, work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall is set to introduce "non-negotiable" protections to the Welfare Reform Bill.
These measures aim to decrease the number of working-age individuals receiving sickness benefits, with the government projecting potential savings of £5 billion annually by the end of the decade.
The proposals involve stricter eligibility requirements for the Personal Independence Payment (PIP), the primary disability benefit in England, and reductions to the sickness-related component of Universal Credit (UC).
Last month, numerous Labour MPs implored the Prime Minister to reconsider the planned cuts, denouncing the proposals as "impossible to support".
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall told the Guardian there will be extra protections added to the Bill when it is published next week.
She said: “When we set out our reforms we promised to protect those most in need, particularly those who can never work.
“I know from my 15 years as a constituency MP how important this is. It is something I take seriously and will never compromise on.
“That is why we are putting additional protections on the face of the Bill to support the most vulnerable and help people affected by the changes.
“These protections will be written into law, a clear sign they are non-negotiable.”
A Government impact assessment published alongside the reforms warned some 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, across England, Scotland and Wales, could fall into relative poverty after housing costs as a result of the changes.
The proposals have received strong criticism from charities and campaign groups since they were announced by Ms Kendall in March. Recent research from Trussell found that around 340,000 more people in disabled households could face hunger and hardship by the end of the decade as a result of the changes.
Helen Barnard, director of policy at Trussell, stated that their calculations paint a more severe picture than previously anticipated "because we have looked at how many people are going to be pulled, not just into overall poverty but into the severest form of hardship."
She added that while Trussell supports the government’s objective to reform employment support and facilitate more people entering the workforce, "these proposed cuts will utterly undermine this goal," adding that "slashing support will damage people’s health and reduce their ability to engage in training and work."
