The Universal Credit Bill passed through the House of Commons on 9th July 2025. This legislation implements changes to the Universal Credit Health Element. Read our full response and next steps here.
We have released a joint statement against the Government’s ‘concessions’ to the proposed welfare cuts with Disability Rights UK, Crips Against Cuts, Mad Youth Organise (a Just Treatment campaign), Disabled People Against Cuts and Taking the PIP.
The proposed concessions — an attempt to win over rebel MPs at the vote on the on The Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill on Tuesday 1st July — mean that current claimants will not be affected by the changes, but that anyone claiming in the future after these reforms take effect will be subject to tightened criteria for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and a reduced Universal Credit health element.
Read our statement below:
“As disability rights organisations and grassroots campaigns, we are voicing our united and absolute opposition to the apparent concessions offered by the government on their proposed disability cuts.
We know that for many, including the MPs who took a principled stand by supporting the reasoned amendment that would have killed this bill, the government’s offer looks like a win.
But we have been dealing with the benefits system for years and we know the potentially lethal effects the concessions being reported will have.
As Disabled people, we will not accept a Bill that condemns future generations of Disabled people to devastating cuts in their vital support in order to avoid that fate ourselves. Rather than fixing this Bill’s dangerous attack on Disabled people, these concessions will introduce a new and cruel inequality into our communities. They will condemn young Disabled people, and those yet to be Disabled, to a future of poverty, hardship and worsening health. Not to mention those unable, or yet to apply due to how taxing the process of proving your eligibility is.
We are absolutely clear that no amount of “concessions” will make this government Bill acceptable. Any and all cuts made to the already limited support Disabled people rely on – both now and in the future – must be resisted.
Disabled people have a long history of solidarity with each other and other communities – it has been essential to our survival. The desperate attempts by the Prime Minister and his whips to buy votes by selling future Disabled people out – attempting to divide our community – will not work.
We know these “concessions” have only come about because of the tidal wave of resistance created by Disabled people and our allies over the last couple of months. They underestimated our power, and now they are underestimating our strength of solidarity.
We know the MPs who listened to us, who have stood with us against these cuts to PIP and Universal Credit, will see through this political manoeuvre and these sham concessions.
But this is a pivotal moment. We need to use every hour, every minute and every second to pile the pressure on our politicians. Nothing less than voting down this Bill is tolerable. The government must withdraw it and undertake genuine dialogue with our community to shape reforms centred on the rights and dignity we need and deserve.”
Take action
MPs are voting on these cuts on Tuesday 1st July. Mad Youth Organise have brought together five urgent actions you can take to help stop the cuts here, including templates for emailing/calling your MP put together in collaboration with NSUN, highlighting the specific impact on people with lived experience of mental ill-health, distress or trauma.
Find out more
- Read NSUN’s formal response to the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) “Pathways to Work” consultation.
- Read our joint briefing with Mad Youth Organise about how the cuts impact people with lived experience of mental ill-health, distress or trauma.
- Read our longer explainer from April 2025 about the Disability benefit reforms.