Protect all benefits and stop reforms that push people into poverty

The Government should maintain adequate support through PIP, Universal Credit, LCWRA, Carer’s Allowance, Housing Benefit and other essential benefits; uprate payments in line with living costs; and publish full poverty, disability and equality impact assessments before making major changes.

Deliberate benefit fraud should be tackled through targeted, evidence-led investigation and appropriate enforcement. Genuine claimants should not be punished through blanket cuts, repeated reassessments or unreasonable conditions because of the actions of a minority.

Any reform must be developed with disabled people and benefit claimants, protect those who cannot work, and offer voluntary, properly funded employment support to people who are able and want to work. The objective should be reducing poverty and improving security—not simply reducing benefit expenditure.

My name is Phoebe, and I rely on disability benefits because my conditions affect almost every part of my daily life. I have cerebral palsy, severe instability in my knee, autism, anxiety, depression and complex PTSD. These are not choices, and they cannot be removed by cutting my income or placing me under greater pressure.

My knee can become extremely painful, unstable and locked in place without warning. On my worst days, I cannot reliably walk even 20 metres without having to stop. I may need to pause for up to ten minutes before I can move again. Even on better days, walking around 50 metres can leave me exhausted and in pain. Because of my cerebral palsy and knee problems, I can lose my balance, trip or fall. Standing for prolonged periods also causes significant pain and fatigue.

My mental health and autism create further barriers. Unfamiliar journeys can cause overwhelming distress, panic and freezing. I can become withdrawn and unable to communicate properly with strangers. I need prompting and support with medication, preparing food, washing, managing money and completing other everyday activities.

I would love to have the freedom and security that other people take for granted, but I cannot reliably sustain employment when I do not know whether my knee will lock, whether I will fall, or whether anxiety and PTSD will prevent me from leaving home or communicating. Being unable to work consistently does not mean that I lack ambition or value. It means that my body and mind impose limitations that determination alone cannot overcome.

PIP and Universal Credit with LCWRA are not luxuries. They help me pay for essential living costs and maintain as much independence and dignity as possible. Without that support, I would not suddenly become less disabled or able to work. I would simply become poorer, more isolated and more dependent on other people and public services.

I understand that deliberate benefit fraud must be investigated and dealt with firmly. But genuine claimants should not be punished because a minority abuse the system. Cutting benefits or making eligibility increasingly restrictive would force disabled people to choose between food, heating, transport, care and other necessities.

Behind every benefits statistic is a real person who may already be fighting pain, exhaustion, fear and isolation. We should not have to live in constant anxiety that the support keeping us safe will be taken away. I am asking the Government to protect essential benefits, listen to disabled people and reform the system with compassion rather than forcing vulnerable people further into poverty.