On Tuesday (18.03.25), the Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP, Secretary of State for Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) announced the governments plans for welfare reform.
Over 120+ organisations and charities are concerned that these changes, especially the decision to change the eligibility criteria for PIP and make it even more difficult to obtain, will have a devastating affect on disabled people and the communities they represent, pushing many into financial hardship.
We know from a Scope report (2024) that life costs more for disabled people. Many people who have ME/CFS and Long Covid, which can both be a disabling and very debilitating condition already live in poverty as a result of these extra costs. Therefore the impact of disability benefits cuts would be disastrous.
The ME Association is actively challenging the government’s proposed welfare reforms and has launched a major project to defend the rights of people with ME and Long Covid.
We will shortly be publishing a formal position statement, meeting directly with key policymakers including the Minister for Disabled People, and launching a national survey to gather vital evidence from our community.
This work is a priority for the charity, and we’re committed to ensuring the specific needs and experiences of people with ME and Long Covid are clearly represented and heard.
Write to your MP
Ella Smith, Welfare Benefits Adviser to the ME Association has kindly drafted a template letter which can be used to write to your MP.
Please consider writing to your MP to express your personal concerns using our template letter below.
Template Letter
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[Postcode]
[Email Address– optional]
[Phone Number – optional]
[Date]
[MP’s Name]
[MP’s Constituency Office Address]
Dear [Insert MP Name],
Please speak out against harmful disability benefit cuts
I’m writing to you as your constituent and as someone living with [ME/CFS / Long Covid* – *delete as appropriate]. I’m deeply concerned about the government’s proposed welfare reforms in the Pathways to Work Green Paper. If these changes go ahead, they will seriously harm disabled people across the country — including those in your constituency.
The aim of these proposals is to help more disabled people into work. But they will do the opposite. Taking away financial support, removing important protections, and making the system even harder to access will not help anyone find or keep a job — it will simply push people further into poverty, crisis, and isolation.
I am especially concerned about:
- Abolishing the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) without proper safeguards. This removes vital protections for people who would be at risk if forced to engage in work-related activity.
- Changing the rules for PIP so that only those scoring 4 or more points in one activity can qualify. This would unfairly exclude people with multiple needs that combine to create significant disability.
- Cutting the Universal Credit health element from around £420 to £217 per month for new claimants. This is a real-terms reduction in essential financial support.
- Losing PIP could mean losing Carer’s Allowance, travel passes, disability premiums, and other forms of vital support.
Living with ME or Long Covid means dealing with serious, long-term illness that limits your ability to function. These conditions can fluctuate in severity (mild, moderate, severe and very severe) — for some people symptoms change day to day; for others they remain constant. What unites us is that our lives are profoundly affected in ways that are not always visible but deeply disabling.
Removing the limited support that’s currently available will not help people return to work. In fact, these changes would make it harder. Many of us use PIP to pay for the extra costs of managing our health, to work reduced hours, or to afford transport, care, or equipment. Taking this away risks pushing more disabled people out of the workplace entirely.
The ME Association is campaigning hard against these reforms. They are gathering evidence, engaging with Parliament, and giving a voice to people like me. I hope you will listen to what they have to say. Engaging directly with the ME Association will give you access to expert insight, lived experience, and policy evidence that can help you better support disabled constituents and influence fairer, more effective reforms.
Please:
- Speak out against these proposals and urge the government to think again.
- Join the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on ME and Long Covid, if you are not already a member.
- Engage with the ME Association to understand how these changes will affect people in your constituency. They would be happy to brief you.
- Support the Cross-Party Motion Against Benefit Cuts – EDM 949
We need your voice and your support. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter — I would be very grateful for your response.
With best wishes,
[Your Name]
APPG Details:
- APPG on ME: https://appgme.co.uk/
- APPG on Long Covid: https://www.longcovid.org/impact/appg-on-long-covid
[ENDS]
Further Information
- MP Liz Kendall, Secretary of State for Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) Speech | 18th March 2025
- The ME Association: The MEA signs Carers UK open letter regarding Carers Allowance Overpayments | 20th March 2025
- The ME Association: Key Announcements: MP Liz Kendall, Secretary of State for DWP confirms the government plans on welfare reform | 19th March 2025
- The ME Association: MEA writes to the Rt Hon Liz Kendall, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions | 18th March 2025