Following the announcement that the next general election will take place on 4 July, speculation is already rife about what will be in the party manifestos.
Labour has already made several suggestions about what the party’s plans could be for personal independence payment (PIP) and universal credit, while the Conservatives announced plans to reform many benefits in the final months before the election.
While the exact details of the manifestos are yet to be confirmed, the announcements and plans already made by both parties will likely form a key part of the electoral offerings.
Conservative plans for PIP
Last month, the Conservative Party launched a new consultation as part of its plans to overhaul the PIP system.
A green paper published as part of the consultation revealed that ministers want to replace the current system with a six-tier benefits system that focuses more on individual needs.
The proposed tier system would be based on a model in Norway known as “Basic Benefit”, where people are given monthly cash payments at one of six different rates, depending on the severity of their condition, their equipment and clinical needs, and other support.
The newly published plan is just one of several options on the table as part of Rishi Sunak’s pledge to review the benefits system, which could also see people with anxiety and depression receiving less money – a move that has already prompted criticism.
In a speech in April, the Prime Minister agued that there was a “moral underpinning” to overhauling the benefits system, with the Government warning caseloads and costs are spiralling.
He said that he wanted the assessments to be “more precise about the type and severity of mental health conditions that should be eligible” and indicated that the recipients would have to provide a letter from their GP outlining the nature of their condition and the associated extra costs.
The Government’s consultation document suggests it aims to extend the qualifying period for PIP to better understand the impact of long-term conditions and allow them to identify short-term illnesses from which someone can make a “full recovery”.
Mr Sunak also said the Government wanted to assess whether to stop ongoing payments to claimants and replace them with one-off sums linked to a specific cost they have incurred to help with their condition.
Conservative plans for other benefits
Under plans announced by the Conservatives last month, those on universal credit who are not engaging in trying to find employment will see their benefits stopped entirely after 12 months.
The Government had previously said it would crack down on people not engaging in work coach services, but this announcement confirms they would have their claim closed and all benefits removed.
People working less than half a full-time week will also have to try and find extra work in return for claiming benefits.
The Government also sped up the process of moving people from older so-called legacy benefits onto universal credit.
The work capability assessment (WCA) process, which considers whether a person is fit for work, is also being tightened with the aim of ultimately replacing it.
Ministers confirmed a previously announced commitment that people with less severe conditions will be expected to look for work rather than being ruled out of having to apply for a job.
The Government said it remains committed to scrapping the WCA entirely and replacing it with a “new personalised, tailored approach”.
It has previously stated that the WCA changes would apply to new claims only, with the reform coming in from 2025 onwards.
Labour plans for PIP
The Labour Party has said the welfare system would need “big changes” if the party wins the next general election, and has already set out its plans to get more disabled people into work.
Labour MP Alison McGovern, the shadow minister for employment, has acknowledged that the welfare system would need “big changes”, with measures such as replacing job centres with more bespoke and localised support for unemployed people.
Writing exclusively in i earlier this month, Ms McGovern said Labour had “long called for changes to PIP” and said any changes must ensure assessment decisions are more accurate as well as tackling the backlog of applications.
But Ms McGovern added that “every aspect of the support for disabled people” must “help people get into work”.
She also said changes to PIP must ensure assessment decisions are more accurate as well as tackling the backlog of applications.
However, the party said that disabled people needed to be supported to get back into work, previously arguing for employment services to be better integrated with healthcare services.
Labour plans for other benefits
Ms McGovern also wrote in i last month that Labour would overhaul job centres to give people more bespoke and localised support as well as ending the “tick box culture” in order to achieve this.
The party has also previously argued for better integrated integrate employment and healthcare services to tackle the number of people out of work due to sickness.
“We believe in the benefits of work for everyone – we are all better off with the autonomy and self‑determination that comes from good work,” she wrote.
“That’s as true for disabled people as it is for anyone who isn’t disabled. It’s time for a change – for a Labour government that can bring us an end to the chaos and a plan for our future.”
Labour has said that there would be “no option of a life on benefits” if the party won power and has set out plans on how it would reduce the number of young people not in work, education or training.
Shadow work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall used a speech in March to promise that the sickness benefits bill would fall under Labour and hinted the party would make tough changes to universal credit.
Her predecessor Jonathan Ashworth made similar comments in January, when he said Labour would “fundamentally reform” universal credit in order to “simplify” the system and “better incentivise” people moving into work.
He said that the party’s proposals are “part of a fundamentally different and new approach”, which he said will “prioritise well-being and security above all when helping people into work”.