‘Unhelpful and ill-informed’: Charities slam Tony Blair think tank report on disability benefits
Charities have strongly criticized a report by the Tony Blair Institute that recommends restricting disability benefits for people with conditions like moderate depression, ADHD, and lower-back pain, arguing the proposals are out of touch and harmful. The think tank suggests reclassifying such conditions as 'non-work-limiting' to cut welfare spending by £11.5bn by 2029, using fast-track legislation. Disability advocates warn the plan would deepen poverty and ignore systemic barriers to employment, while the DWP said it will consider the report. The backlash echoes previous opposition to similar welfare reform attempts by the government.
- ▪The Tony Blair Institute report proposes denying disability benefits to people with conditions like moderate depression, ADHD, and lower-back pain, labeling them 'non-work-limiting'.
- ▪The plan aims to reduce welfare spending by £11.5 billion by 2029 and suggests using secondary legislation to limit parliamentary scrutiny.
- ▪Charities including Mencap and Mind condemned the report as 'ill-informed', 'discriminatory', and harmful to disabled people's well-being.
- ▪The DWP said it will consider the report but is already conducting a review of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) system.
- ▪The number of people out of work due to ill health has risen to 2.8 million, with welfare spending on disability benefits increasing from £49.1bn in 2019 to £77.1bn in the current financial year.
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NewsUKHome News‘Unhelpful and ill-informed’: Charities slam Tony Blair think tank report on disability benefitsThe former PM’s firm put forward an ‘emergency handbrake’ plan for welfare spendingAlbert Toth Wednesday 29 April 2026 07:01 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"CF1:2966422To1","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/disability-benefits-dwp-pip-tony-blair-institute-welfare-report-b2966914.html","title":"Charities slam Tony Blair think tank report on disability benefits"}}July 2025: Senior Labour MP tells Starmer…
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