A UN committee on incapacity rights has criticised the UK authorities’s welfare reforms, saying they may “enhance poverty charges”.
In an intervention prone to be seized on by MPs looking for to additional water down the measures, the committee asks ministers for solutions on 10 points surrounding the profit adjustments – and says the reforms danger “regression” for disabled individuals.
The committee, which experiences to the Workplace of the Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights, asks about British politicians suggesting persons are defrauding the advantages system.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on the launch of the 10-year well being plan in east London. Pic: PA
One level on which it desires clarification is: “Public statements by politicians and authorities portraying individuals with disabilities as making revenue of social advantages, making false statements to get social and incapacity advantages or being a burden to society.”
Different questions are on the impression the measures could have on “younger individuals, new claimants of incapacity advantages, ladies with disabilities, individuals with disabilities with excessive degree helps” and others.
They ask ministers about what measures they’ve taken to handle “the foreseeable danger of accelerating poverty charges amongst individuals with disabilities if cuts are accredited” and declare the welfare invoice has had “restricted scrutiny”.
The letter claims that the committee has “obtained credible info” that the Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill “will deepen the indicators of regression” that the committee warned about in a report final 12 months on the price of dwelling disaster and its impression on disabled individuals.
An intervention by the UN might be a humiliation to the federal government, which has promised its welfare reforms will assist disabled individuals into work.
Welfare invoice blows ‘black gap’ in chancellor’s accounts
Liz Kendall, the welfare secretary, was criticised closely earlier within the 12 months for saying some individuals on advantages had been “taking the mickey”.
After a chaotic first vote in Parliament on 1 July, during which MPs succeeded in watering down the reforms considerably, the federal government now says its reforms will raise 50,000 individuals out of poverty. The invoice was backed by 335 MPs, with 260 in opposition to – a majority of 75.
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The primary model of the reforms would have – the federal government’s evaluation mentioned – pushed 250,000 individuals into poverty.
Charities are urging MPs to proceed to push for additional adjustments – together with on cuts to Common Credit score illness funds.
Labour welfare insurgent desires ‘respect’
A unique UN committee closely criticised profit adjustments made by the Conservatives in 2016 and known as on the UK to take “corrective measures” when Labour got here into workplace.
The UN’s committee on Financial, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) concluded that “welfare reform” measures launched by Conservative-led governments in 2012 and 2016 had disproportionately affected disabled individuals, low-income households, and staff in “precarious employment”.
The committee mentioned this had led to “extreme financial hardship, elevated reliance on meals banks, homelessness, damaging impacts on psychological well being, and the stigmatisation of profit claimants”.
The Division for Work and Pensions has been contacted for remark.
The Common Credit score and Private Impartial Cost Invoice returns to the Commons on Wednesday for its remaining phases.
Mikey Erhardt, coverage lead at Incapacity Rights UK, mentioned: “The truth that the UN has but once more felt it wants to jot down to the UK authorities about our merciless and punitive social safety system needs to be a nationwide disgrace.
“We hope this letter is a wake-up name for MPs. Regardless of all of the chaos of the last-minute climbdowns and concessions, the Common Credit score invoice stays damaged.
“There are nonetheless billions of cuts on the desk, and we urge MPs to strategy tomorrow’s proceedings with warning as their vote could have critical implications for disabled individuals throughout the nation.
“If disabled individuals really feel unable to belief the federal government’s guarantees on co-production and the UN wanted to boost considerations over the invoice’s impression, how can MPs vote this invoice via?”
