Reform proposes £50bn welfare bill cut with changes to disability payments for millions
Reform UK has announced plans to overhaul the welfare system by cutting £50bn from the benefits bill and replacing disability payments with a new Health Security Allowance. The proposal includes shifting the burden of sick pay to employers, a move the party claims will be cost-neutral through reduced National Insurance contributions.
Why it matters
This policy represents a significant shift in UK social welfare strategy, sparking intense debate over the support provided to disabled citizens and the economic impact on businesses.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Jenrick said Reform will not pretend the plans are painless
Reform UK says it would aim to cut about £50bn from the benefits bill and scrap the disability payments system, Pip, if it comes in to government.
Robert Jenrick, the party's treasury spokesperson, said the plans, to be set out in full on Monday, would be the most comprehensive overhaul to the welfare system in a generation and affect nearly three million people.
In an article for the Sunday Telegraph , external he said the current system is "suicidal empathy" and "a strange perversion of compassion".
Labour said it was "fantasy economics, built on stripping support from disabled people", while the Conservatives called it a "half-baked policy" and another "attempt to distract from" questions about the £5m gift party leader Nigel Farage received.
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