Joint civil society statement on the UC & PIP Bill

We are coming together as organisations committed to fighting poverty, providing advice, and supporting and championing the rights of disabled people, their families, and carers. 

We stand firmly with disabled people and their organisations in calling for the UK government to withdraw the UC & PIP Bill and to undertake genuine dialogue with disabled people to shape reforms centred on the rights and dignity that all disabled people need and deserve. 

At a time when the share of GDP spent on working-age social security has remained stable for the last ten years, cutting the incomes of disabled people is a political choice. There is time for the government to pursue alternatives. 

If this Bill is voted through, then by 2030 it will have cut PIP for more than 400,000 disabled people and Universal Credit for more than 700,000 people who are disabled or have a long-term health condition. 

These numbers will only increase in the years to follow. 

This Bill has also been brought before parliament: 

• Without consultation with disabled people 

• Without any assessment of its impact on health and employment outcomes 

• Before the planned review of the PIP assessment has properly begun its work 

• Without knowing how the outcome of the PIP review may affect these reforms 

The changes announced last week and the compressed timetable for scrutiny mean that MPs will only have a single day to debate or amend the new provisions. 

There is too much at stake for disabled people for this Bill to be rushed through without the opportunity for meaningful challenge or scrutiny. 

We urge all MPs to vote against this Bill at Second Reading. 

Signatories 

Acts 435 

Action for Children 

Amnesty International 

British Association of Social Workers 

Camphill Village Trust Centre for Mental Health 

Child Poverty Action Group 

Children & Young People's Mental Health Coalition 

Children First 

Citizens Advice 

Community Money Advice 

Crisis 

Cystic Fibrosis Trust 

Debt Justice 

Diabetes UK 

Disability Benefits Consortium 

Disability Law Service 

Disabled People Against Cuts 

End Child Poverty Coalition 

Endometriosis UK 

Engender 

Fuel Poverty Action 

Home Start 

Human Rights Watch 

Huntington's Disease Association 

Imagine Act and Succeed

In Kind Direct 

Independent Age 

Independent Food Aid Network

Joseph Rowntree Foundation 

Kidney Care 

Learning Disability Allies 

Leonard Cheshire 

ME Foggy Dog 

Mental Health Foundation 

Mental Health UK 

Mind 

Money and Mental Health Policy Institute 

MS Society 

National Autistic Society 

National Children's Bureau 

National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society 

National Survivor User Network 

Neuroendocrine Cancer UK 

New Economics Foundation 

Oxfam 

Parkinson's UK 

Quaker Social Action 

Rethink Mental Illness 

Royal National Institute of Blind People 

Royal National Institute of Deaf People 

SeeAbility 

Scope 

Sense 

Shelter 

Sisters of Frida 

St Mungo's 

Stripy Lightbulb CIC 

The Children's Society 

The Food Foundation 

The Poverty Alliance

The Salvation Army 

Trussell 

Turn2Us 

Turning Point 

Versus Arthritis 

Voluntary Organisations Disability Group 

We Care Campaign 

Whizz Kidz 

Women's Budget Group 

Young Lives vs Cancer 

Z2K 

4 in 10 

Black Country Foodbank 

Citizens Advice Scotland 

Close the Gap 

Food Plymouth 

Hartlepool Foodbank 

Includem 

North East Child Poverty Commission 

One Parent Families Scotland 

Parenting Across Scotland 

Scottish Women's Budget Group 

Shelter Scotland 

Stay Safe East 

The Scottish Pantry Network