The UK Government’s welfare announcement

The MS-UK Helpline have been following the changes announced in the 2025 Spring Statement in relation to the UK Government’s reforms. We understand the impact that any changes to the benefits system may have on the MS community, as well as challenges that come with applying for benefits and going through reassessment.

The government has published their Green Paper which was shared by Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall. It has provided us with an insight into the proposed changes to benefits affecting disabled people. These include Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Universal Credit (UC) and the assessment process. There will now be a 12-week consultation on some of the plans, however, some areas will not be consulted on.

The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) is consulting on how to support existing PIP claimants who will lose their entitlement when their claim is reviewed after November 2026. The consultation ends on 30 June 2025.

The changes proposed to PIP scoring will not happen until November 2026.

What do the changes mean?

• PIP will not be frozen and the payment will continue to rise with inflation
• From November 2026 new PIP claimants and existing claimants under reassessment, will need to score at least four points from a single descriptor to qualify for the daily living component. This is a new rule and is in addition to the existing need to score at least 8 points to qualify for the standard rate of Daily Living. This does not affect the mobility component
• Assessments will all be face-to-face and will be recorded
• The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) will be scrapped in 2028.
• Additional financial support for health conditions in UC will be assessed through PIP. Meaning any extra income will be based on the impact of the individuals health condition or disability, rather than capacity to work
• A ‘right to try’ scheme will be introduced, guaranteeing that attempting work will not lead to a benefits reassessment
• There will be an additional UC premium for people living with a severe lifelong condition
• People with advanced, severe disabilities, that will not improve, will never have to be reassessed
• New Style Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) and New Style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) will be replaced with a new single entitlement called Unemployment Insurance. This new benefit will be time limited
• From April 2026, the Universal Credit Health Element (UCHE) will be frozen for a four year period. Additionally from this date, the amount new claimants of UCHE will receive will be reduced by almost half.

Share your feedback

Even though the Government are only consulting on some aspects of these proposals, they say that they are keen to hear from disabled people and people with health conditions. You can add your voice to the consultation online here.

At present these are proposed suggestions, with PIP eligibility changes to be effective from 2026/27. We will update you when there is any further news.

The MS-UK Helpline is here for you!

If you wish to talk about this announcement, our helpline is here for you. You can contact us free Monday to Friday, from 10am to 4pm, either by telephone, email, live webchat or Whatsapp.