Yesterday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered her Autumn Budget, a speech in which she referred to “working people” at least seven times. Phrases such as “I will always put working people first” and “money off bills, and in the pockets of working people” framed the budget as one designed to deliver for those in employment. Reeves also highlighted reforms to Universal Credit, claiming these would help 15,000 people return to the workforce, alongside funding for free apprenticeships for SMEs.
Stripy Lightbulb CIC must challenge the Government’s narrow use of the phrase “working people.” Many individuals in receipt of Personal Independence Payments are in employment, yet their contribution is overlooked when this terminology is used as if it excludes disabled and chronically sick communities. Equally, describing disabled people and specifically those living with M.E./C.F.S as “economically inactive” is misleading. No one is inactive: every person contributes to the economy through spending, consumption, and participation in society, whether or not they are currently in paid work. To dismiss people with disabilities or chronic conditions as inactive is not only inaccurate but also disrespectful to the reality of their lives and contributions.
If the Government is serious about getting people back to work, it must look beyond short-term reforms to Universal Credit. Adequately funding biomedical research into M.E./C.F.S, leading to treatments or a cure, could enable hundreds of thousands of people to regain sufficient health to return to employment. That scale of recovery would dwarf the 15,000 figure cited by the Chancellor and would represent a genuine long-term strategy for reducing economic exclusion.
Furthermore, Stripy Lightbulb CIC has repeatedly highlighted inefficiencies and waste within the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The DWP deliberately makes applying for benefits unnecessarily laborious, with incompatible computer systems and siloed departments that fail to communicate effectively. These inefficiencies increase workloads, frustrate claimants, and reduce access to support. If the Government wishes to cut costs, its starting point should be cleaning up its own house by streamlining processes, modernising systems, and ensuring departments work together.
Our Call to Government
- Recognise that people with disabilities and chronic illnesses are not “economically inactive.”
- Invest in M.E./C.F.S. research to deliver treatments and cures that would enable hundreds of thousands to re-enter the workforce.
- Reform the DWP to eliminate inefficiency, waste, and unnecessary barriers to accessing support.
- Develop a long-term strategy for people living with M.E./C.F.S. that goes beyond rhetoric and delivers genuine opportunity.
Stripy Lightbulb CIC stands ready to work with policymakers to ensure that the voices of people with M.E./C.F.S are heard, respected, and acted upon. The Autumn Budget may have been framed around “working people,” but true progress will only come when Government recognises that everyone contributes to the economy, and that investment in health and efficiency is the surest way to build a fairer, more productive society.
