Labour's 'big changes' for PIP, DWP and benefits system explained

The Labour Party government's new plans for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and the benefits system have been explained. The Labour Party won the General Election last week, defeating the Conservative Party at the polls with Sir Keir Starmer becoming Prime Minister.

Labour MP Alison McGovern has been quoted by i as saying the welfare system needs "big changes," with a focus on more precise PIP assessments and addressing the backlog of claimants. The Labour Party said prior to the election that the welfare system would need “big changes”, but there was no specific detail in the manifesto on what these would be.

The manifesto from the Party - which has installed Liz Kendall as Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) boss - also references people out of work, and says there are “too many people” who were “not earning enough”. It adds: “Long waits for treatment of health conditions, particularly mental health, are contributing to the rise in economic inactivity. Labour will reform employment support so it drives growth and opportunity.

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“Our system will be underpinned by rights and responsibilities – people who can work, should work – and there will be consequences for those who do not fulfil their obligations.” Writing in i earlier this month, Ms McGovern, the shadow minister for employment, said Labour had “long called for changes to PIP”.

The Labour manifesto says the party is committed to “reviewing universal credit so that it makes work pay and tackles poverty”. It adds: “We want to end mass dependence on emergency food parcels, which is a moral scar on our society.”

It also contains a pledge to create “greater in-work security, better pay, and more autonomy in the workplace”, arguing that Britain’s employment laws are out of date. Ms McGovern added that “every aspect of the support for disabled people” must “help people get into work”.