We stand in solidarity with all who are affected by today’s announcements, as well as inflammatory news reporting on Disabled people, those living with mental ill-health, and our right to welfare.
The proposals announced today are not in effect, and likely will not be for some time. There are no immediate changes to your benefits.
Today the Department for Work and Pensions released the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper. It outlines proposed changes to welfare support for Disabled people (including those living with mental ill-health, distress, and trauma). The proposals have been published alongside new statistics on the “cost” of Disabled people who are not working.
These proposals follow on from the Get Britain Working White Paper, which was published in November 2024. That document positioned tackling unemployment as a key route through which this government would try to boost economic growth.
NSUN will respond in full in the coming weeks. Today, we briefly introduce the document and offer our initial reaction. Below we have answered some FAQs in more detail.
The proposals in brief:
The Pathways to Work Green Paper makes multiple proposals for welfare reform. These include:
- Stricter tests for the daily living component of Personal Independence Payments (PIP). Notably, requiring individuals to score at least 4 points in one activity to receive the daily living component.
- Work Capability Assessments will be scrapped, in 2028. Those applying for health-related welfare support will face a single assessment, based on the current PIP system. There will be a new review commissioned into the PIP assessment process.
- Those under the age of 22 will no longer be able to claim the incapacity benefit top-up to Universal Credit.
Initial reaction
Today’s announcements claim that the current welfare system “actively encourages welfare dependency” and prevents Disabled people from working. The logic is that by cutting access to benefits, more people would work. Despite trying to make a “moral case” for welfare reform, there is nothing “moral” about trying to starve Disabled people back to work.
Today’s announcements also work to further scapegoat Disabled people, blaming us for economic failures that are not our fault. This is implicit in the concurrent publication of new figures on the cost of health-related welfare claims to the economy. There exists a complete failure to engage with the reality of Disabled people’s lives and the reasons why welfare claims may have increased.
Despite claiming to prioritise the voices of Disabled people, the Government has failed to publish any accessible versions of the consultation documents, claiming that these “require additional time” to produce. The Government’s inability to make a consultation about Disabled lives accessible to Disabled people says a lot about how the Government feels about Disabled voices.
Nonetheless, we will continue to rally alongside Disabled people and those living with mental ill-health. We will do everything in our power to get these proposals stopped.
NSUN’s commitment
NSUN is a member of multiple coalitions of Disabled people’s organisations working to resist these changes. This includes Scope’s Cost of Cuts Campaign, which is made up of over 40 of the UK’s largest disability and mental health charities. These coalitions represent hundreds of individuals working hard to get these changes stopped.
The Pathways to Work Green Paper is now open for public consultation. The consultation is set to run at least until 30th June; though due to their inability to have published accessible versions of the consultation documents, it is likely this will be extended. NSUN will participate in the consultation, submitting our own response and publishing this on our website. We will also publish guides for members on how to submit. If you would like to contribute to the consultation and would like support, please reach out to Courtney Buckler, our Senior Policy and Campaigns Manager, at courtney.buckler@nsun.org.uk.
We are also working out how best to support our membership during this time. At the very least, this will include regular updates and platforming opportunities for members to get involved in efforts to stop the proposals.
Our work will not stop if/when we get these changes stopped. We will continue to hold the Government to account, asking what made these proposals possible and seeking accountability.
FAQs: The Pathways to Work Green Paper
What is a White/Green paper?
These documents outline the Government’s intentions, the difference between these types of documents are about the level of detail they contain.
A White Paper is a fairly broad document, often outlining broad intentions and the reasons why the Government thinks change needs to happen.
A Green Paper is more detailed, outlining the exact changes the Government would like to happen; including how they might be implemented and in what timeframe.
Neither type of document is legally binding, and neither takes immediate effect.
What is the Pathways to Work Green Paper and where did it come from?
Today’s announcements follow on from the Get Britain Working White Paper.
In November 2024, the Government published the Get Britain Working White Paper, a document which outlined their intentions to “boost the economy” by increasing employment rates.
A key focus of the November 2024 White Paper was arguing that “economic inactivity” among the long-term sick was too high, suggesting that one way we might increase employment is by reducing people’s benefits. You can read our analysis of the November’s White Paper, here.
The Green Paper (published today) outlines those reforms in full, focussing specifically on changes to the welfare system.
Are the changes in effect?
No. Your benefits entitlements are not affected.
Green Papers are not legally binding. It outlines what the Government would like to do, rather than what is actually happening/will happen.
The Pathways to Work Green Paper will now face a period of consultation. Some changes require new pieces of legislation which will need to be passed through Parliament. Even if the relevant laws get passed, nothing will change at least until 2026.
Will all the changes actually happen?
Because some of these proposals require new laws to be voted on in Parliament, it is hard to know which (if any) will come into effect.
It is unlikely (but possible) that all of the proposed changes will go ahead.
These proposals are extremely unpopular among some MPs and many Disability/mental health charities. There will also be a public consultation on the document, which may also lead to changes in the policy.
What can I do and how can NSUN help?
NSUN will platform the work of members in our members’ bulletin, and on our social media.
We are also working on creating a template and submission guidance for the open consultation on the Green Paper. This consultation will be open until at least 30th June. We will also be publishing our own response on our website.
You can submit to our bulletin following the guidance on this page.
You can request our support with any work you are doing around welfare reform, here.