Overview
- Ministers reaffirm that the reduced UC health element for new claims will take effect on 6 April 2026, rejecting a Work and Pensions Committee call to pause the change pending a fuller impact assessment.
- The LCWRA top‑up for most new claimants will fall to about £217.26 a month (around £50 a week) and will be frozen through 2029/30, with a smaller protected cohort retaining the higher payment.
- The DWP says the reforms rebalance incentives by raising the core UC rate above inflation across four years, targeting an estimated £725 a year uplift for a single person aged 25+ by 2029/30.
- Standard allowance rates for 2026/27 will rise by more than 6%, including to £424.90 per month for single adults aged 25 and over and to £666.97 for joint claimants both aged 25 and over.
- ESA claimants will be moved to Universal Credit by March 2026, with mirrored protections for those not yet migrated by April, while charities and MPs warn the cuts could push more disabled people into poverty.