- The Tony Blair Institute (TBI) has recommended that people diagnosed with conditions such as moderate depression, ADHD and lower-back pain should not qualify for cash benefits, arguing these should be considered "non-work-limiting" conditions.
- The report suggests these changes could serve as an "emergency handbrake" on welfare spending, potentially saving £11.5 billion by 2029, and advocates for the use of secondary legislation to push through reforms with reduced parliamentary oversight.
- Disability charities, including Mencap, the Disability Benefits Consortium, and Mind, have vehemently criticised the proposals, describing them as "deeply unhelpful and ill-informed," discriminatory, and a "simplistic response to a hugely complex challenge."
- The TBI's research points to a significant rise in the number of people out of work due to ill health, reaching 2.8 million, with a near-doubling of young people (aged 18-24) affected since 2012, contributing to increased health and disability benefit expenditure.
- The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has indicated it will "consider" the TBI's report, while critics have reminded the government of its previous retraction of similar proposals to tighten Personal Independence Payment (PIP) criteria following widespread opposition.
IN FULL
‘Unhelpful and ill-informed’: Charities slam Tony Blair think tank report on disability benefits
