Key facts
- Reform UK plans to cut £50 billion annually from the UK benefits bill.
- Campaigners warn hundreds of thousands of children would fall into poverty.
- Proposals include slashing disability payments and reintroducing a two-child benefit limit.
- Non-UK citizens would be barred from claiming benefits.
- Long-term unemployed would face compulsory unpaid workfare.
- Leaked analysis suggests disability benefit cuts could amount to £10,000 per year for some recipients.
Campaigners have issued stark warnings that Reform UK's proposed welfare reforms, aimed at cutting £50 billion annually from the benefits bill, would lead to widespread child poverty and destitution.
The party's plans include significant reductions in disability payments, barring non-UK citizens from claiming benefits, and reintroducing a two-child limit on benefit claims. For those out of work for over a year, Reform proposes 20 hours of compulsory, unpaid community work per week, with sanctions for non-compliance.
Leaked government analysis suggests that cuts to disability benefits could leave individuals, including those with terminal illnesses or profound disabilities, losing as much as £10,000 a year. The proposals aim to replace the current Personal Independence Payment (Pip) and parts of Universal Credit with a single flat-rate 'health security allowance'.
Reform UK stated that its overall plans would encourage an additional 241,000 British nationals into employment and cut the working-age benefits bill by approximately 25%. The party also indicated that state pensions and the 'severely disabled' would be protected from cuts. However, details on how extra costs for disabled people would be assessed remain unclear.
Critics, including the Disability Benefits Consortium and various charities, have condemned the proposals as 'cruel and dangerous', predicting a substantial increase in poverty and a worsening of health outcomes. The Institute for Fiscal Studies noted that removing benefits from non-UK citizens would likely result in immediate income cuts and increased hardship for many.