This, from a DWP press release yesterday (gov.uk/government/n...), is outrageous In two short paragraphs it peddles multiple falsehoods about the current system that will be used to justify upcoming cuts & changes Here's what MPs & journalists should be challenging... 🧵 - ThreadSky

pollardtom.bsky.social • 6 days ago

This, from a DWP press release yesterday (https://gov.uk/government/news/almost-two-million-people-on-universal-credit-not-supported-to-look-for-work), is outrageous

In two short paragraphs it peddles multiple falsehoods about the current system that will be used to justify upcoming cuts & changes

Here's what MPs & journalists should be challenging... 🧵

Comments

snaphookdan.bsky.social•6 days ago

How are they allowed to lie like this? It's horrendous, unless of course the presentation of the report is purely designed to reduce the allowance of people who cannot work.

neilmcrowther.bsky.social•6 days ago

Isn’t there another thing going on here - all the focus is on this when reportedly the lion’s share of cuts will be to PIP, about which none of this is relevant

circeseawitch.bsky.social•6 days ago

This ^^^^ Liebour are fudging the issue, unless they are planning to cut BOTH UC and PiP - both of which are also In-work benefits.

babs05.bsky.social•5 days ago

They're fudging the issue. Both PIP and UC are under threat.

pollardtom.bsky.social•6 days ago

First of all, people are not "placed in binary categories of either “fit for work” or “not fit for work”" - there is a middle category where people are expected to engage with employment support but not to apply for work - there's a reason DWP may want to gloss over this... /2

scottcompton.bsky.social•6 days ago

Spot on, Tom, and frustrating how large sections of the media are accepting this overwrought emphasis on incentives totally uncritically.

pollardtom.bsky.social•6 days ago

Despite people in this middle group receiving less money (just the basic rate of UC since 2017), being less unwell/disabled & having more 'conditionality' applied, their rate of returning to work hasn't been much higher than for those with higher benefits & no conditionality /3

msvanillarose.bsky.social•5 days ago

1/ I am in the limited capacity group. I know of no restriction whatsoever preventing me applying for a full-time job. I just know I couldn’t cope. Meanwhile, Job Centre is in regular telephone contact with me. I’m very lucky, my advisor seems genuinely nice. I tell her about my volunteer work.

msvanillarose.bsky.social•5 days ago

2/ And she tries to nudge me towards a scheme to help me get paid work.

Meanwhile, what is Labour doing to combat employers’ prejudices towards disabled workers?

pollardtom.bsky.social•6 days ago

Why is that inconvenient for the government? Because they are trying to claim that reducing the rate of financial support people receive & applying more 'expectations' will help to move more ill & disabled people into work, when there is very little evidence to support this /4

pollardtom.bsky.social•6 days ago

Secondly, the Work Capability Assessment does not "drive people who want to work to a life on benefits". People go through the WCA because they feel unable to work at this time due to the impact of disabilities & health conditions. Many will hope to return to work in future /5

pollardtom.bsky.social•6 days ago

There are very real issues about people fearing returning to work because of potential loss (& difficulty of regaining) benefits & people wanting protection from Jobcentre conditionality in the first place. There are problems with the WCA, but it is far from the central issue /6

pollardtom.bsky.social•6 days ago

Finally, being placed in the LCWRA group does not mean people are "locked out" of employment support or work. All it means is people can't be mandated to undertake support or apply for jobs under threat of sanctions. There is nothing to stop DWP offering voluntary support /7

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