Let’s be honest, 2025 was a hard year for everyone who wasn’t a rich white man. But for disabled people, it was one of the toughest we’ve ever faced. Most of us allowed ourselves the tiniest sliver of hope when Labour were elected that the demonisation of disabled people would end.
However, that hope was short-lived. And in 2025, with no real opposition to stand up for us, Labour had free rein to make disabled people’s lives hell. It soon became clear just how much worse it was to be disabled under Labour.
At every turn, disabled people were there to fight Labour
After months of speculation, in March, the then-head of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Liz Kendall, announced plans to decimate disability benefits. The “reforms” would’ve seen it become harder to qualify for Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The proposed plan was that a claimant had to score four points or more on one daily living activity. This would’ve meant that anyone with lower support needs would no longer qualify.
Thankfully, disabled people and our allies had months to prepare for this while the government hinted at changes to turn the press against us. This meant that when the cuts were announced, several groups sprang into action.
On 26 March hundreds of disabled people and their allies from all walks of life gathered outside Downing Street during the Spring budget to protest against the cuts. Noticing a gap and that those who couldn’t protest were getting left out, the Canary led an online protest to coincide. Protests also happened around the country at the same time.
Online activism came to the forefront, fucking finally
I was incredibly proud to be coordinating the online side in the ‘back office’, and that our hashtag #WelfareNotWarfare trended on Twitter for over seven hours. However, it does need pointing out that it was only due to the Canary – specifically our Nicola Jeffery’s – persistence that there was an online protest. Thankfully this was something that the newer groups in the coming months would consider more.
In the wake of the budget, new disabled activist groups sprang up, desperate for change. Crips Against Cuts started groups all around the country and held protests throughout March, April and May. They also had a remote group, which at one point took the DWP server down.
At the same time, Disability Rebellion formed online. DR filled a much needs gap in disability activism for those who couldn’t physically get to protests. As well as being a much needed online community DR hold online protests alongside major in person ones. The group has also been instrumental in calling out the ableism in the media and spouted by politicians.
Disabled people showed that the DWP consultation was an utter sham
Despite Labour having already announced proposed cuts, they also ran a consultation to get people’s thoughts on benefits reform. The biggest clue that this was an utter sham was that the consultation ended the day before MPs voted on the cuts. As part of this complete mockery, the DWP ran in person consultations too. There were a whole ten events across the whole of England Scotland and Wales.
However the government hastily added a North East event, after South Shields MP Emma Lewell pulled Liz Kendall up about it. That’s right, despite there being record levels of poverty in the North East, there was no planned in person consultation between Glasgow and Leeds.
Of course, seeing the consultations for what they were, activists showed up. In Manchester, DPAC occupied the lobby of the hotel where the event was taking place. They refused to leave until they were allowed to speak to the small number of disabled people allowed to take part. The Cardiff event was cancelled and rescheduled in a secret location amidst fears that the same would happen.
In Newcastle, the DWP knew they had to be much more covert. Participants were given the address with just two days notice. Nevertheless, DPAC and Crips Against Cuts North East came out to send one last message to government just five days before MPs voted.
Labour were Taking The PIP
Speaking of the MPs voting on the benefits cuts. Disabled people realised those were the very people we had to influence the most and to do that we had to reach as many people as possible. Taking The PIP brought together over 130 disabled people in the public eye to demand Starmer stopped the cuts. We also used our privilege of being more well known to encourage as many people as we could to email their MP.
Hundreds of people took part in the campaign and it led to Labour MPs rebelling against Starmer. As a result, Stephen Timms was forced to pull a Hail Mary and PIP was taken completely out of the benefit cuts at the last minute. Whilst the bill still included Universal Credit cuts its important to notice the difference disabled activists made.
Disabled people insisting on true co-production with Labour
After realising how much disabled people were willing to fight back, the government rushed the Universal Credit cuts through as quickly as possible. But the government had also committed to a full review of PIP reforms. The Timms Review faced pushback from disabled people at every turn, mainly because they wanted to ensure that it was as co-produced as the DWP said.
However with the arrival of new DWP chief Pat McFadden, the department resorted to dirtier tricks to make it harder for disabled activists. McFadden told DDPOs that there would not be a big report into the cuts. Instead he would be putting out smaller statements. And that’s just what he did when the DWP released 22 reports in one day. However DDPOs are still fighting against the cuts.
Access to Work and the right to stay alive
Whilst Labour pushed through cuts on the basis that disabled people should be working, they quietly cut Access To Work. The Access to Work Collective brought together disabled people fighting the government to have their work needs met. In October they delivered an open letter with over 17,000 signatures on to Keir Starmer, calling for urgent reforms to the programme.
Beyond just fighting for the right to work, disabled people came together to fight for the right to just staying fucking alive. As the Assisted Dying bill progressed through parliament and then the Lords, disabled peers have been at the forefront of opposing it. Most recently Tanni Grey-Thompson has stood firm on tabling 115 amendments to the bill. Her scrutiny of Falconer led to outrage after the “lord” said pregnancy “should not be a bar” to assisted dying.
There’s still much to fight for
There’s still much to fight for in 2026. Labour’s Timms Review into PIP is due to start soon, so disabled people need to keep the pressure on to ensure that we don’t get shafted again. Our biggest battle we will be against the ever rising amount of disability hatred in the media. With Streeting’s reports into whether ADHD is real, the attacks on Motability and the general disdain for disability coming from politicians, the media is about to get even more fucking hostile towards disabled people.
But we’ll be ready for them. Whilst last year was soul-destroying, it’s clear that disabled people’s refusal to accept what Labour throws at us sent a clear message to The Government. And whatever way they decide to ruin our lives next, they better be ready for a fight.
Featured image via the Canary
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