After a long wait, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) finally revealed what the Timms Review would entail yesterday, well, in the vague way the DWP does. Despite trying to make it once again seem like they care about disabled people, it’s clear this is just another desperate attempt to push through cuts that would destroy disabled people’s lives to save a few quid.
Taking all the trash at once
The Timms Review is the review and consultation around Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Whilst the government are trying to act like it’s because we desperately need a review, it came around after they failed to rush through cuts to PIP in the summer when, following pressure from disabled people, many Labour MPs rebelled. Eventually, PIP had to be removed entirely from what had to become the Universal Credit bill, but the government vowed it’d be back like a shit terminator.
Earlier this week, DWP chief Pat McFadden told Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) that there would not be a big report published setting out everything that would happen with the cuts and reforms. Instead, he said, they would publish statements on individual issues. As I said on the Canary, this feels like a deliberate tactic to overwhelm campaigners and reduce press scrutiny.
News flash: nobody actually wants DWP PIP cuts
And that’s just what they did yesterday when they released this report, along with literally 22 other announcements or reports. These included the long-awaited responses to the Pathways to Work consultation which, as Hannah Sharland reported, showed that the public overwhelmingly supported PIP staying exactly as it was or becoming more compassionate.
Sharland wrote that:
Crucially, 52% said the DWP should maintain the existing PIP criteria, and “many” responses pointed to financial (37%) and mental health (18%) impacts of losing PIP.
In addition, 37.5% said it would increase financial hardship. As Sharland points out, though, this wasn’t even the question the DWP asked, which was about what support they could provide to those who’d lose their PIP if the 4 point rule was brought in; instead, they took it upon themselves to tell the DWP what they really thought of their proposed cuts.
Desperate attempt to get disabled people onside
So, knowing this would ruffle feathers and embolden campaigners, it was slipped out alongside the updated Terms of Reference for the review. They are, as expected, deliberately written to confuse. So I’ll be sure to break it down for you.
One good thing that they explicitly state straight out of the bat is that the benefit will remain non-means tested, meaning that all of those who need it will qualify for it and not have it reduced based on how much they work, but that’s as good as it gets, though not before they give away the aim of the review.
Against this backdrop, it is critical that the public and, most importantly, disabled people themselves can trust in the fairness and fitness of PIP.
However, despite saying it won’t be means-tested, they reaffirm that, despite it not being related to work, PIP will become the only way to access health-related unemployment benefits.
Making things worse
This has angered many, as PIP is much harder to qualify for than Universal Credit. While many wanted the WCA scrapped, we didn’t want it replaced with an even less accessible system.
It’s clear from reading the rest of the review that the DWP are hoping to win disabled people over. There’s a lot of over-egging the pudding with repetition that the DWP want to make the assessment “fair and fit for the future” – this phrase is said four times in fact, with eight mentions of variations of “fair”. If you’ve got to say it that many times, lads…
There’s also a lot of bigging themselves up about how the review will be co-produced by disabled people, but this will be after all, just 12 disabled people. And then, amongst more bullshit, they let slip that “the sustainability of the system” is the most crucial consideration, and that they will be working to bring down expenditure in line with OBR predictions. So essentially, despite all this, they do still care most about saving a few quid.
Bluster to hide the fact that disabled people will be shafted, again
After all this bluster, we finally get down to the root of what they’ve tried to hide: that this will affect all of us, and they’re going to make it as hard as possible for us to do anything about it. The very last principle confirms disabled people’s worst fear:
The Review will consider how recommendations might be applied to reassessments for people already claiming PIP to ensure it is fair and fit for both new and existing claimants
That’s right, despite the DWP previously stating in the run-up to the cuts in the summer that the reforms would only affect new claimants, they want to make it harder for existing claimants to get support, too.
And then, at the very end, they drop something truly disgusting, trying to pass it off as just procedure:
We are committed to concluding the Review by Autumn 2026. The Review will report to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, so that the government can then make any decisions flowing from it. These could take the form of changes to primary legislation, secondary legislation, or a range of potential non-legislative actions.
Basically, by making it seem like bothering with such trivial things as parliamentary debates and giving MPs a vote would delay the process, the DWP are laying the groundwork to push these cuts through without giving MPs a vote, which is very convenient for something which was rebelled against by over a hundred of your own MPs. Not only this, but it also sounds like they’ll be seeking to push through changes under the radar, like they already are with Access to Work.
The DWP is not in the best interests of disabled people
This shows that despite claiming that the Timms review is not only in the best interest of disabled people, but will be designed with disabled people, Labour want this rushed through with as little attention as possible – because this summer showed that disabled people will not take these cuts that will ruin so many of our lives lying down.
That’s why, more than anything, it’s really fucking angering me that DPOs are still seemingly committed to helping co-produce the review, with some even celebrating their “win” that the Pathways to Work White Paper had been scrapped yesterday. It’s clear that the DPOs are doing this with the best of intentions and truly believe they can effect change from the inside, but surely by now the government have shown you their true colours and what they really think of disabled people. How much more will DPOs put up with?
Featured image via the Canary
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