UN calls for ‘corrective measures’ to Tory disability benefit reforms, just as Labour prepares cuts of its own

A report by the United Nations (UN) has called on the UK government to take “corrective measures” to address the impact of cuts to disability benefits introduced under Conservative governments, just as Labour ministers prepare to introduce further such cuts.

The recommendation by the UN’s committee on economic, social and cultural rights (CESCR) comes in its “concluding observations” on the UK’s progress in implementing the International Covenant of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

The committee concluded that “welfare reform” measures introduced by Conservative-led governments in 2012 and 2016 had disproportionately affected disabled people, low-income families, and workers in “precarious employment”. 

And it says this led to “severe economic hardship, increased reliance on food banks, homelessness, negative impacts on mental health, and the stigmatization of benefit claimants”.

Among its recommendations, it calls for increased spending on social security, and for the government to take “corrective measures” to address the impact of post-2010 welfare reforms on the most disadvantaged groups.

It also calls for the level of disability-related benefits, including personal independence payment (PIP) and employment and support allowance, to be increased so they “adequately cover additional disability-related costs”.

The report was published by the committee just as the government is set to announce new austerity measures that are expected to include significant cuts to social security spending, including disability benefits, at the spring statement on 26 March.

The government’s long-awaited green paper on disability benefits will also be published in the next three weeks, ahead of the spring statement.

The UN committee calls on the government to carry out an independent assessment of the cumulative impact of post-2010 austerity measures on disabled people and other “disadvantaged groups” and to take “all measures necessary” to reverse those impacts in areas such as social security, social care and public transport.

It also calls for wide-ranging action to address disability-related discrimination and inequality across employment, housing, education, and access to sport and culture, and to introduce targeted measures to support disabled women.

The government had failed to comment on the CESCR report by noon today (Thursday).

Last year, another UN human rights committee concluded that the UK government had made “no significant progress” in the more than seven years since it was found guilty of “grave and systematic” violations of the UN disability convention.

The committee on the rights of disabled people said last April that it had even found “signs of regression” – backward steps – in the UK’s progress towards fully realising the rights described in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Disabled campaigners this week called on the government to listen to CESCR and step away from any planned cuts to social security.

Ellen Clifford, a member of the national steering group of Disabled People Against Cuts and award-winning author of The War on Disabled People, said: “It’s tragically ironic that the CESCR report has been published at the same time as the government is boasting about plans to cut the welfare budget.  

“CESCR is recommending that more needs to be spent on social security at exactly the same time as the chancellor is set to announce taking billions out of the system, attacking disability benefits and hitting the poorest and most disadvantaged in society to make up for her inability to fix low productivity growth. 

“After a decade and a half of austerity and welfare reform, such cuts will devastate our communities in ways we cannot imagine. 

“It’s clear this Labour government has no concern for human rights and sees the lives of disabled people as something they see no value in. 

“So it’s up to us to make sure we create a problem for them and make it clear they cannot get away with visiting such levels of harm on us without consequence.”

She said DPAC was holding an online campaign planning meeting on Sunday (9 March, 2 to 4pm) “to discuss how we can work together to do that”*. 

Fazilet Hadi, head of policy for Disability Rights UK, said: “Just weeks away from the government publishing its proposals to cut billions from the social security budget, leading to millions of disabled people being pushed into even deeper poverty, we have a UN committee putting the spotlight on the grave injustices and inequalities faced by UK citizens, including disabled people.

“In a series of hard-hitting recommendations, the committee asks that the impact of austerity be examined, that social security payments are increased, that poverty and high costs are tackled, that inadequacies in relation to health, housing and education are addressed.

“But is anyone listening? 

“The new government is wedded to a financial strategy that gives no priority to investing in public services, to tackling poverty or to embedding disability inclusion. 

“Eight months after coming to power, we still have no mention of any concerted strategy to achieve disability equality.”  

Carole Ford, from the WOWCampaign, said the UN findings were “particularly concerning at this time, when the government are planning further cuts to the welfare budget”.

She said the government was “likely to choose to ignore the UN, as previous Conservative governments have done”.

Mark Harrison, a member of the Reclaiming Our Futures Alliance (ROFA) steering group, said: “This report is calling for a reappraisal of the Labour government approach.  

“Their adoption of planned Tory tax rises and austerity cuts to benefits and services will continue to redistribute wealth from the poor to the rich.  

“Rachel Reeves’ spring statement [on 26 March] promises to bring more poverty and misery to poor and disabled people.”

He said that work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall and ministerial colleagues were “continuing to ramp up the Tory – now Labour – culture war on disabled people, labelling us as benefit scroungers and cheats.  

“This government, whether they like it or not, were elected because people wanted and demanded change, not to carry on and step up the attacks on our rights and living standards.  

“The UN report calls for a cumulative impact assessment of the combined measures and a change of direction in line with the UN conventions signed and ratified by the UK government.  

“We are putting Starmer and his government on notice that we will fight them all the way.  

“Disabled people and our organisations will not accept more of the same.  

“After 14 years, we say enough is enough.”

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Credit for this article goes to John Pring with the Disability News Service