Last night, MPs voted to approve the Welfare Reform Bill at its second reading — but not before campaigners secured a major victory. After weeks of pressure from disability rights organisations, charities, and supportive MPs, the government has made a dramatic U-turn: Clause 5, the proposal to tighten PIP eligibility rules, has been withdrawn.
This is no small change. Clause 5 was the most punitive part of the bill, and its removal represents a huge concession by the government — both politically and fiscally. It was this clause that would have introduced a new rule requiring claimants to score 4 points in a single activity to qualify for PIP. Experts warned this could have stripped support from hundreds of thousands of people with complex or fluctuating conditions, including ME/CFS and Long Covid.
The ME Association Welfare Reform Project has worked closely with partners across the disability sector to expose the risks of this approach — and to amplify the voices of people with lived experience. Through public briefings, detailed policy submissions, and our national campaign survey, we made clear that these changes were unjustified, unsafe, and would deepen health inequality.
As part of this wider project, we have also been meeting with MPs and their representatives, disability organisations, and key stakeholders to engage, educate, and campaign against the proposals. These conversations have been central to building momentum and challenging the flawed assumptions underpinning the reforms.
Notably, Ella Smith, MEA Welfare Rights Consultant, was invited to meet directly with Stephen Timms, the Minister for Social Security and Disability, to challenge multiple aspects of the proposed reforms. She raised fundamental concerns about the treatment of fluctuating conditions, the logic behind the 4-point rule, and the wider risks to people with ME/CFS. These issues were heard — and have contributed to a major rethink.
You can read how this meeting went below:
Now, Clause 5 is gone.
This wasn’t quietly shelved — it was dropped because the government was forced to listen. Ministers have now committed that no changes will be made to PIP eligibility, activities or descriptors until a full review has taken place. This review — the Timms Review — is expected to report by autumn 2026, and will be co-produced with disabled people and their organisations.
This is a landmark moment. Not only has the government backed away from the most harmful part of the bill, but it has conceded that major reform must start with the people it affects most. It is a direct result of coordinated pressure, evidence-led advocacy, and the power of collective voice.
What’s still in the bill?
Although Clause 5 has been removed, the bill still includes wide-reaching changes to Universal Credit. These include:
- Halving the UC health element for new claimants from April 2026
- Freezing the health element for current claimants in real terms
- A new “Right to Try” Guarantee (still being developed), which aims to let disabled people trial work without risking their benefits
- Over £1 billion in new employment support, including £300 million ringfenced for disabled people
These changes remain a serious concern. They risk entrenching a two-tier system, where the level of support someone receives depends on when they claimed — not how unwell they are. This will disproportionately impact people with fluctuating and poorly understood conditions like ME/CFS, many of whom already struggle to access consistent support.
What’s not in the bill: Unemployment insurance and the Work Capability Assessment
While the Welfare Reform Bill introduces major changes to PIP and Universal Credit, it’s important to clarify what the bill doesn’t cover.
There are currently no confirmed changes to contributory ESA or unemployment insurance in this legislation. The government has previously proposed replacing contributory ESA and new-style Jobseeker’s Allowance with a time-limited unemployment insurance model, but this remains at the consultation stage, with implementation unlikely before 2028/29. These proposals would require new primary legislation and are not part of the current bill.
Similarly, although the government has announced its intention to abolish the Work Capability Assessment (WCA), this change is also not included in the bill. Instead, the WCA is being phased out through administrative changes, with health-related support under Universal Credit expected to rely more heavily on PIP entitlement or a severe conditions exemption.
This presents a serious concern for people with ME/CFS and other fluctuating conditions. The WCA, while flawed, currently provides important protective mechanisms — particularly through Regulations 29 and 35 — for people who may not meet standard criteria but are nonetheless unfit for work. There is no clear legislative replacement for these safeguards, raising fears that many could fall through the cracks if PIP becomes the sole route to support.
The ME Association will continue to monitor and respond to any future developments around these proposals. We are particularly concerned about the lack of legislative detail on how people with fluctuating or invisible conditions will be assessed and protected once the WCA is removed.
These issues are not resolved — only postponed. We will remain vigilant.
Why the fight isn’t over: the risk of secondary legislation
While Clause 5 has been removed from the bill — which is primary legislation, requiring full debate and approval by Parliament — there is a real risk that similar proposals could be reintroduced in future through secondary legislation.
Secondary legislation (also known as delegated legislation or statutory instruments) allows ministers to make significant changes under the authority of an existing Act, without the same level of scrutiny or debate. It cannot be amended and is rarely blocked. This means that major changes to PIP — including those recommended by the Timms Review — could be implemented quickly and with minimal public or parliamentary oversight.
If the government decides to revive proposals like the 4-point rule after the Timms Review concludes in 2026, they could do so via secondary legislation — without a new bill, and without any guarantee of a meaningful vote. That makes the shape and governance of the review itself all the more important.
What happens next: the road ahead for the bill
Now that the Welfare Reform Bill has passed its second reading, it moves into the committee stage, where MPs will scrutinise each clause in detail and consider possible amendments. This stage is critical for shaping the final content of the bill, but it’s not the end of the process.
After committee stage, the bill will return to the full House of Commons for the report stage and third reading. At that point, further amendments can be made before MPs take a final vote.
If it passes, the bill then moves to the House of Lords, where it goes through the same sequence of readings, debate, and scrutiny. If the Lords make changes, the bill will ‘ping-pong’ back and forth between the two Houses until they agree on the final wording.
Once agreement is reached, the bill receives Royal Assent and becomes law. However, different parts of the bill may come into force at different times, depending on government decisions about implementation.
This means there are still several stages ahead — and multiple opportunities to push for improvements, raise concerns, and influence the detail. The ME Association will continue to engage throughout, making sure the voices of people with ME/CFS are heard at every stage.
We are calling for full transparency, meaningful co-production, and a review process that recognises the realities of living with ME/CFS, Long Covid, and similar complex conditions. We will also continue to highlight the democratic importance of how future changes are made — and to campaign against any attempt to push through reforms that harm disabled people via the back door.
This campaign victory builds on the ME Association’s wider policy work. As part of the Welfare Reform Project, we submitted detailed evidence to the Work and Pensions Select Committee and a formal response to the government’s Green Paper. Both documents highlighted the serious risks posed by the proposed reforms for people with ME/CFS and Long Covid and helped to shape public and parliamentary debate around Clause 5 and beyond.
This is not the end of the story — but it is a clear demonstration that campaigning works. The MEA Welfare Reform Project was created to ensure the voices of people with ME are heard at the highest levels. This week, they were.
Thank you to everyone who has written to their MP, shared their story, completed our survey, or supported this campaign. We will continue to speak out, stand firm, and fight for a fairer system — one that protects, not punishes.
Clause 5 is gone. Let’s keep going. We are proud to have campaigned so hard on this issue, and we will continue to ensure our community’s voices are heard every step of the way. #ListenToME #WelfareReform #DisabilityRights
You can check how your MP voted on the Bill below:
Ella Smith
Welfare Rights Consultant,
The ME Association
Further Information
- The Guardian: How did your MP vote on the welfare reforms? | July 1st, 2025