Overview

• Official figures show 2.9 million people now receive Universal Credit on health grounds, accounting for 37% of claimants and rising by about 800,000 in a year.
• Three quarters of UC health recipients are assessed as unfit for work with no work-preparation requirements, rising to 80% among new entrants, with growth driven largely by mental health conditions in under‑30s.
• From April, the health element for new UC claimants is set to fall from £423.26 to £217.26 a month with a four-year freeze on uprating.
• UN special rapporteurs urge the government to withdraw the changes, warning the approach appears fiscally driven and potentially discriminatory under the CRPD.
• Parliament’s Work and Pensions Committee cites government analysis that about 50,000 people could be pushed into poverty by 2030, while ministers highlight £3.8bn for employment support and claim child poverty reductions.