Leader of the opposition Kemi Badenoch has unveiled that the Conservatives have a plan for benefits claimants to be administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Spoiler, it involves slashing support and demonising disabled people even further.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday (Tuesday 9 December 2025), Badenoch said that herself and three other top-level Tories have begun a policy review into the benefits system. This review, she crowed, would slash not only the cost, but the scope of disability benefits.
Tories want to use the DWP to attack disabled people, shock
Badenoch said in her speech:
Our sickness benefits system was not designed to handle the age of diagnosis we now live in. So, we are also going to review which conditions the state treats as disabilities when it comes to benefits.
Put simply, these evil bastards will get to decide what counts as a disability and what doesn’t.
She continued:
All of us will have physical and mental challenges at some point in our lives. But in an age in which one in four people now self-report as disabled, it’s clear that we are now going to have to draw a line on what health issues the state can support people with.
Conveniently, whilst using this statistic, she missed out that not all disabled people claim benefits. In fact, only 2.5 million claim a disability unemployment benefit (either Employment Support Allowance [ESA] or Universal Credit [UC]), which means they don’t have to look for work. A bit of quick maths tells you that’s less than 5% of the total population, four times less than the figure Badenoch brought out.
Tories moving the goalposts for benefits, again
Working with shadow secretaries for the DWP – Helen Whately – and Business and Trade – Andrew Griffith – along with ex-DWP wet wipe turned shadow chancellor Mel Stride, Badenoch relaunched the Tories falled Get Britain Working Again plan. Readers may remember that the plan was the Tories’ last ditch attempt to stay in power and it included things such as ‘vouchers instead of PIP’ and ‘your doctor can’t be trusted to write a sick note’.
Now, there aren’t any actual policies just yet, and there won’t be until the review is complete. However, Badenoch has said they plan to look at changing what kind of support is available and how long it’ll last. Again, to repeat, this is support for people who have already been deemed unfit for work. There should be no “back to work” plan here, as they literally can’t work.
She carried on in the speech to say that one of the “fixes” for the system would be:
Reducing eligibility for low level mental health issues.
While mental health conditions typically mean things like depression and anxiety, Badenoch’s previous insistence on claiming, incorrectly, that people get free cars for ADHD indicates she will probably include other neurodivergent conditions too.
As well as changing the goalposts on disability, she also wants to change what poverty means:
She said
“Relative poverty” just tells you what proportion of households earn below 60 per cent of median income. That is not a measure of poverty at all. It is a bad measure, because in a booming economy, as incomes rise, more people can be classed as being in poverty even though their real income is rising.
So, together with her ragtag band of secretaries of state, Badenoch, in a reverse Robin Hood move, will apparently take from the needy and give back to the rich again. All while, of course, turning those living in poverty who work against those in poverty who can’t work.
Labour are doing exactly the same, just less obviously
The thing is though, this isn’t much different to what the Labour government are doing – except the Tories are being overtly evil. As we speak there are three independent reviews that look at the government’s approach to disability and benefits.
The Timms review will look at how Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can be reformed. This review only came about after plans to make PIP harder to qualify for were quashed by a Labour rebellion. The review could still bring these changes about.
As well as this, the DWP is also running another independent review into why so many young people aren’t in work. This will specifically look at young people who aren’t in unemployment or education who are also claiming disability related unemployment benefits.
Worryingly though, with the focus of the review on “analysing trends”, it’s clear this will also be a farce that aims to prove kids are faking it for benefits. This is basically so they can be forced into shit, low-paying jobs in Rachel Reeves’ “Youth Guarantee”
Of course, there is also Wes Streeting’s review into mental and health and neurodivergence coming up, which is clearly aiming to prove that those conditions are overdiagnosed. Whilst the Department for Health and Social Care claims this isn’t linked to cutting benefits, it’s hard to see what else it would be used for by this government.
Disabled people deserve parties who will actually fight for us
What’s clear here is that while disabled people are being attacked by many of the major parties, we as yet don’t have anyone in our corner. If Zack Polanski leading the Greens or even Zarah Sultana and Jeremy Corbyn with Your Party want to be seen as viable alternatives, they have to show that they truly care about disabled people.
We don’t need more wishy washy ‘those who can’t work will always be supported’ bullshit from the people who decide who can and can’t work. We need a definitive announcement that hatred of disabled people will not be tolerated. And that reforms will only happen in order to make a compassionate system that doesn’t punish people for being disabled.
Labour may be pretending to want to reform disability benefits because they ‘care’ about supporting people into work, but it’s very obvious that they hate us as much as the Tories and Reform. At least Badenoch and Tice are honest about it.
Featured image via the Canary
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