To all Members of Parliament,
As you prepare to cast votes on crucial reforms to the UK’s benefit system in the coming month, we write to you with urgency and concern. These are not simply bureaucratic adjustments; they are life-altering amendments that will directly impact millions of your constituents, many of whom are among the most vulnerable in our society. It is therefore of utmost importance that every one of you possesses a basic comprehension and nuanced understanding of the complex system you are poised to reshape.
Recent engagements, including benefit cuts events and MP surgeries, have brought to light a deeply troubling reality: a significant number of MPs, regardless of party, appear to lack even a rudimentary understanding of the UK benefit landscape. This is not just about general statistics; it extends to the intricate, yet vital, connections between different benefits that are critical for the survival and well-being of countless individuals and families.
Specifically, we are alarmed by the apparent widespread misunderstanding of the relationship between Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Carer’s Allowance. Many MPs seem unaware that PIP is a non-means-tested benefit designed to help with the extra costs of living with a long-term health condition or disability. It is not an out-of-work benefit, yet you would struggle to think otherwise given the rhetoric of the Department for Health and Social Care. Crucially, a PIP award, particularly for daily living, is often the qualifying benefit that allows a loved one to claim Carer’s Allowance. To remove or reduce PIP eligibility without fully grasping this direct link means not only impacting the disabled individual but simultaneously stripping away vital support from their unpaid carers, often family members who provide round-the-clock care, enabling the state to save billions. This cascade effect is not a minor detail; it is a fundamental pillar of support for millions of people.
Furthermore, we urge you to delve deeper into the complexities of Universal Credit (UC) and its various components, including the element of Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA). UC is a complex, all-encompassing benefit that has become the bedrock of financial support for a vast proportion of low-income and out-of-work individuals. The LCWRA element within UC is a recognition that some individuals face significant barriers to work due to their health conditions or disabilities. Any reforms to this element, or indeed to the UC system as a whole, must be made with a full understanding of the financial cliff edges, the administrative burdens, and the devastating impact of even small reductions on households already struggling to make ends meet.
Adding to this concern is the worrying absence of comprehensive and transparent impact assessments for these far-reaching reforms. We cannot stress enough that for policies with such significant human cost, rigorous and publicly available assessments are not a luxury, but a necessity. Without them, MPs are being asked to vote in a vacuum, unable to fully understand the downstream effects on health, poverty, employment, and social care. You cannot scrutinise assumptions, demand detailed data, or truly grasp the potential human cost of proposed changes if the essential analysis has not been adequately conducted or made available.
We have heard directly from disability campaigners and carers who have expressed shock at the basic questions posed by their elected representatives regarding these processes during surgeries or welfare reform events. How can you confidently vote on reforms that could push individuals into deeper poverty, exacerbate health inequalities, and undermine the foundations of care, if you do not truly comprehend the existing structure?
We urge all Members of Parliament, as a matter of professional duty and human decency, to fully educate yourselves on the intricacies of the UK benefit system before you cast your vote. Engage directly with constituents, seek independent expert briefings, grasp the vital interconnectedness of these benefits, and demand that robust impact assessments are conducted and published in full before any vote takes place. Your vote next month is not simply a legislative formality. It is a decision that will determine whether individuals can afford to eat, heat their homes, access essential care, or participate in society. It will decide whether carers can continue their invaluable work without being pushed into destitution.
We urge you, as a matter of professional duty and human decency, to fully educate yourselves on the intricacies of the UK benefit system BEFORE you cast your vote. Do not legislate in ignorance.
Sincerely,
Stripy Lightbulb CIC
