Overview
- Ministers propose removing Universal Credit from convicted offenders held under hospital orders for serious crimes, bringing rules in line with those for prisoners.
- Under current rules, offenders in hospital can receive more than £800 a month, with cases linked to the Nottingham attacks and Kennedi Westcarr-Sabaroche underscoring the issue.
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer endorsed the plan as a fairness measure, and Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said benefits should not reward acts of violence.
- The DWP will seek views from clinicians, victims’ groups and mental health experts, and will work with devolved administrations on a consistent approach.
- The government has not given a start date or estimates of how many people would be affected, while other benefits such as PIP are typically time-limited during hospital stays.