Cutting personal independent payments: potentially devastating or justified? | Letters
As predicted (Starmer offers ‘massive concessions’ on welfare bill to Labour rebels, 26 June), an attempt has been made to salvage the welfare bill,Discontented MPs and disabled people alike will welcome the assurance that people currently receiving personal independence payments (Pip) or the health element of universal credit will be protected from changes,But the episode is damaging, has caused thousands of disabled people needless worry, and may come to be seen as pivotal in Keir Starmer’s tenure,There is something deeply invidious about having two classes of benefit recipients – the protected current recipients, and those making future claims,At the same time, it is clear that the benefits system does need reform and, in particular, needs to support people into work rather than taking a punitive and brutal approach to cost saving.
How Starmer has ended up in this position is fascinating, if it were not extraordinary for a government with such a majority and the potential to make radical and equitable change to be repeatedly wrongfooted.U-turns look weak and messy, and presenting them as a response to active listening is unlikely to convince anyone.Starmer claims not to be ideological, and there is the issue; policy is being shaped not by a coherent strategic vision and principle-driven aspirations for better lives, opportunities and genuine equality, but by economic necessity and caution.It’s a flawed model, certain to intensify divisions between ministries, Labour members, taxpayers, benefit recipients and the wider electorate.There is major learning and reflection needed by the government; the optics have gone badly wrong, but the welfare reform chaos is a symptom of a much deeper political malaise.
Dr Melanie HenwoodHartwell, Northamptonshire I am a social worker and I support cutting Pips.I have encountered a number of young adults trapped in a cycle of welfare dependency, unemployment and chaotic lifestyles.They share a belief that the state must fund every aspect of life, and a lack of understanding that benefits come not “from the government” but are redistributed from taxation of the population.Pip is often claimed on the basis of anxiety or depression, but the idea of working to support oneself, or seeking training or education to make work more attainable, is absent from their thinking.The answer? Probably a combination of education, early interventions and nudges towards culture change, including reducing the availability of Pip.
In the long term the status quo won’t help the young people I work with.Name and address supplied What is not being made clear in government statements and coverage of the cuts to disability benefits is the personal independence payment’s relationship to work.Pip is paid to help with the additional costs arising from disability.It is paid to people in work and out of work.It is crucial in enabling people to stay in work, paying for technical and personal support, health needs, travel and other costs.
It also enables people who cannot work full-time to work.What will happen to these working people when they can no longer afford the additional costs? It’s clear the government does not understand the role of Pip in enabling work.Jean BetteridgeManchester As we approach the parliamentary vote on the new welfare bill, spare a thought for the many Pip recipients who received the benefit when it was known as disability living allowance.I suspect, for many, the scars still linger from that government change to the system.What that revealed was that disability allowance was not directed to those most in need of it due to their disability.
Rather, receiving the new benefit depended upon one’s ability to fill out a 40-page form.Next, it depended on having the physical and mental resilience to challenge the result and take it to a tribunal.This was a protracted and stressful period of time.For many, who made it that far, the tribunal reversed the DWP scoring and people found that they had their old level of benefit reinstated.Just a shame that stress makes many medical conditions far worse for the individual.
Many years ago, I believed that the DWP wanted to help those with serious disabilities.These days, I have as much faith in them as they appear to have in disabled people (DWP letters now seem to be written with a subtext of “you’re a fraud and we’ll catch you”).Name and address supplied Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Carlos Alcaraz escapes first-round scare as Fabio Fognini tests his limits
Carlos Alcaraz said he was proud to have squeezed into the second round after struggling with his nerves and the heat on Centre Court during his dramatic five-set win against Fabio Fognini on Monday.In searing temperatures, Alcaraz started his pursuit of a third consecutive Wimbledon title by outlasting the veteran Italian 7-5, 6-7 (1), 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 after 4hr 37min on-court.“I’m getting mature and I know how to deal with some situations,” the Spaniard said. “I always say that the champions always find a way. I really want to see myself in that [list] of champions
Emma Raducanu too strong for teenager Mimi Xu in British battle
“Come on Britain!” echoed through the sweltering 32C heat on No 1 Court as Emma Raducanu defeated Mimi Xu in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3. The all-British clash featured two players – attired similarly in matching outfits and golf visors – who captivated the home crowd.While Raducanu has been a fan favourite since her fairytale 2021 US Open triumph, the grand slam debutant Xu, ranked No 300 in the world, has impressed in junior circuits and shown significant promise on the senior tour.“It was an interesting dynamic today,” Raducanu said. “It is really awkward playing a Brit, especially someone younger
Farewell tradition, hello robots: Wimbledon adjusts to life without line judges
Sometimes progress registers simply as absence, and so it was on the opening day of Wimbledon this year when the pursuit of greater accuracy led to the disappearance of the tournament’s famous line judges.Electronic line calls are now in operation in SW19, bringing the championships into line with the grand slam tournaments in Melbourne and New York and also the ATP Tour. The French Open still uses line judges. But the shift to camera‑based, AI‑enhanced decision-making cuts deeper at Wimbledon, where up to 300 line judges have been a colourful part of the tournament’s ensemble cast for the past 147 years.With protests outside the gates (albeit with tongue in cheek) and ambivalence among fans, there were also unexpected reactions from players to the changes
Sibley hits 305 as Surrey break run record: county cricket day two – as it happened
On and on went big bad Dom. Past 200, past his highest previous score, past 250 and, with a sprinted single that left him spreadeagled in the Oval dust, to 300.Sibley clambered to his feet, raised his bat and soaked up the warm applause for a mammoth effort of concentration: 28 fours, two sixes and 472 balls of toil as the mercury rose. He joins an elite club of triple-centurions for Surrey at the Oval, in Mark Ramprakash, Kevin Pietersen, Bobby Abel, Jack Hobbs and Tom Hayward. At the other end, Dan Lawrence shimmied 174 and Will Jacks 119 as Surrey set their record first-class score, finally putting Durham out of their misery at 820 for nine
Wimbledon diary: strawberry sandwiches, pricey rackets and Oliver Tarvet’s expenses
“Where are the strawberries and cream?” was among the more unexpected questions for one of Wimbledon’s army of volunteer stewards as the crowd streamed through the gates on Monday morning, given that the answer is “absolutely everywhere you look”. It was a different story, though, at the local branch of Marks & Spencer, where 300 packs of the chain’s specially commissioned strawberry & crème sandwich, a staple food for influencers on Instagram and TikTok in recent days, ran out shortly after 9am. A sample did make it into the media room, however, and while strawberries “paired with whipped cream cheese on sweetened bread” might sound like the losing team’s product idea on week two of The Apprentice, it has to be said … it’s very edible.There was an air of genteel bedlam in the main Wimbledon shop as the first wave of merch-hungry tennis fans poured through the doors in search of SW19-branded booty. The demand for hats and towels was, not surprisingly, rather stronger than that for sweatshirts and hoodies, and no one at all seemed inclined to lug around one of the giant tennis rackets – designed to be hung on the wall, apparently – that are the most expensive single items in the shop at £600 a pop
Mystery swirls around Bumrah as unchanged England overlook Archer for second Test
One of the many delights of leafy south Birmingham is when an international cricket team is in town and residents stumble across them training on the Colts Ground at Edgbaston. Folks could be heading for a stroll in Cannon Hill Park, or their weekly shop at Aldi, only to suddenly find themselves watching Jasprit Bumrah let fly.Sadly, the fences were covered with tarpaulins after some hecklers over the weekend. There was a decent subplot playing out inside as India trained, too, over whether Bumrah will play the sold-out second Test that starts . Having bowled these past few days, the man himself offered a passing “hopefully”
Lindsey oil refinery owner Prax falls into administration as ministers urged to intervene
Speed restrictions imposed on two main train lines amid UK heatwave
WH Smith cuts sale price of high street business by £12m
UK households hit by squeeze on living standards despite fastest growth in G7
Number of new UK entry-level jobs has dived since ChatGPT launch – research
What would happen if Thames Water is temporarily renationalised?