Reform drop huge benefits axe bombshell and who Nigel Farage would target
Labour criticised the announcement following a pledge that all appointments would be face-to-face, only for the policy document at the conference to admit otherwise
Reform UK’s draconian plans to scrap the personal independence payment (PIP) for people with anxiety were last night (WED) labelled “cruel, heartless and reprehensible”.
At a press conference in London, Nigel Farage’s party vowed to end PIP for claimants with “non-serious anxiety disorders" and introduce more regular reassessments for those who qualify.
The proposal is one of several aimed at reforming the welfare system, which also includes a pledge to make all assessments face-to-face, as well as introducing a "fast track to work" system for those having their payments withdrawn,
During the press conference both Lee Anderson MP and Zia Yusuf, the party’s head of policy, said that every single assessment will be face-to-face, only for their own policy document to admit that only the “vast majority [of] assessments are face to face.”
Mr Yusuf has pledged a sweeping crackdown on benefits, which he says could save £9 billion a year by 2029.
While Reform UK claimed they would only end PIP for “non-serious” anxiety disorders, at the press conference they failed to explain what exactly this looked like when challenged by journalists.
One recipient of PIP told the Mirror Reform’s rhetoric was “just isolating more people”.
Danny, 51, from London, who relies on PIP, said the rhetoric around the support was “concerning”.
He said: “I rarely go out because my anxiety, depression, and agoraphobia has such a debilitating impact on me.
“I’m in receipt of PIP and have just been transferred over to Universal Credit, but the whole experience of transferring has had a huge impact on my mental health.
“I would love my mental health not to have this devastating impact on me, so I could rebuild my life, but I don’t think people realise just how much support and kindness can help. I really feel this rhetoric is just isolating more people”.
Labour MP Jon Trickett has now torn into the cruel proposals, claiming they go after the vulnerable.
He told The Mirror: "[This is] Cruel, heartless and reprehensible. Farage's party clearly would target the poorest in our country.
"They would divide communities which currently get along well together. People need to wake up to the danger which Reform represents".
Tom Pollard, Head of Policy, Public Affairs & Campaigns at mental health charity Mind, claimed the party had misunderstood how PIP works.
He said: "Saying you'll stop Personal Independence Payments for people with ‘non-serious’ anxiety doesn't bear any relation to how this benefit actually works.
“People have to prove they face significant health and disability related barriers in their day-to-day lives to qualify for PIP, and it is not based on diagnosis.
“Reducing financial support for people who are already struggling with their mental health would only make it harder for them to get better and put more pressure on other services."
Kate Lawson, Head of Policy at disability charity Sense called PIP a “vital lifeline” for disabled people.
She said: “Sense’s research has found that half of disabled people with complex needs feel humiliated during benefits assessments. Equally alarming, one in two disabled people with complex needs who receive PIP didn’t get the communication support they needed during their assessment and one in four felt the assessor didn’t understand their condition at all.
“No disabled person should be treated with this level of disregard.”
Labour MP Debbie Abrahams and Chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee called for a "compassionate approach”.
She added:“Removing support to people who need it could have serious consequences.”
During the press conference, Mr Anderson, the party’s welfare spokesman, claimed returning to work was the best treatment for people.
He said: "When I worked down the pit it was dangerous, it was dark, it was dirty and sometimes we were worried.
"But the following morning at 5 o'clock we went back to work again - that was the best medication I've ever had."
It comes after Labour abandoned botched plans to restrict eligibility for PIP - the main disability benefit - earlier this year after a massive rebellion.
The government instead tasked disabilities minister Sir Stephen Timms to conduct a review of the benefit, which is not expected to report back until autumn 2026.