UK Government Plans Major Overhaul of Long-Term Sickness Benefits

Proposed reforms aim to reduce costs, encourage employment, and revise eligibility criteria for disability payments.

Ministers are considering cutting sickness benefits by up to £5,000 annually for hundreds of thousands of claimants to incentivize work and curb rising welfare costs.
The proposed changes would introduce stricter requirements for long-term sick claimants, including obligations to seek work or engage with employment services.
The welfare system's costs have surged post-pandemic, with incapacity benefit recipients increasing by 1 million in five years and projected to reach 4 million by 2030.
Mental health and back problems, the most common reasons for claims, may face greater scrutiny under the reforms, with tougher eligibility for disability benefits like Personal Independence Payments (PIP).
Labour leadership anticipates internal party opposition to the overhaul, but the government argues the changes will protect the vulnerable while making the system more sustainable.