Time to act: Ask your MP to vote against the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment bill
On 18 June, we saw the detail of how the UK Government intends to make changes to Universal Credit (UC) and Personal Independence Payments (PIP). We’re gravely concerned these sweeping cuts to health and disability benefits could significantly affect many blind and partially sighted people. MPs are set to vote on these plans within the next two to three weeks, and we’re calling on supporters to join us in opposing the cuts.
Has anything changed since March?
These proposals were first announced in March by the Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall. However the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill, published today, formalises those proposals into a piece of draft legislation that will go before the House of Commons and House of Lords in the coming weeks.
Despite huge opposition from disabled people all over the UK, the proposals are largely unchanged. However, one change is that current PIP claimants who in future would no longer qualify, will have some additional time (13 weeks), before they lose the support they are currently receiving.
Please take action today
With your support, we’ll be working hard to urge MPs to vote against these plans.
Contact your MP, urging them to protect these vital benefits for blind and partially sighted people. Our e-action makes it easy to send a message to your MP, and you’ll be joining over 2000 people who have already done so.
Tightened Personal Independence Payment (PIP) criteria
The bill sets out changes to the PIP assessment criteria, which could make it harder for some blind and partially sighted people to qualify for the daily living component of the benefit.
Under the changes, people will need to score at least four points in at least one daily living activity to be eligible for the PIP daily living component. This will be on top of the existing criteria of accumulating eight points across all daily living activities to get a standard daily living award, or 12 points for an enhanced award.
If it goes ahead, any new rules will impact new claimants from November 2026 and existing claimants will only be impacted once reassessed. Entitlement to the mobility element of PIP will not be affected.
We strongly oppose this change. PIP provides vital support for the extra costs that come with being blind or partially sighted. We know that thousands of blind and partially sighted people who require PIP to live independent lives score just two points in individual daily living activities.
The only small concession in today’s bill allows current PIP claimants who would no longer qualify some additional time (13 weeks), before they lose the essential support they are currently receiving. This is in no way a substitute for the loss of an average £4,500 a year which some claimants will experience.
No one living with sight loss should lose out on essential support to live independently. It’s vital MPs vote against this change.
Universal Credit (UC) health element
The bill also sets out plans to change incapacity benefits under UC, which currently give some claimants an additional £416 a month. This could make it even harder for some blind and partially sighted people to meet essential bills.
The rate of the additional UC health element will be frozen at £423 a month until 2029 for existing claimants, with an average loss of £500 per year. Individuals, described by the UK Government “with the most severe and permanently disabling conditions who will never be able to work”, assessed using the Severe Conditions Criteria, will also receive £432 a month until 2029 and will not be called for reassessments for UC.
From 2026, the rate of the health element for new claimants will be halved, to £217 a month, and frozen, with an average loss of £3,000 per year.
The standard allowance of UC will be increased by 4.8 per cent at the end of the decade, from £92 per week in 2025 / 2026 to £106 per week in 2029 / 203 for a single claimant aged over 25. While this is welcome, we will be stressing this is not enough to account for the support being taken away from those on the UC health element.
Next steps
In the coming weeks, MPs will be casting their vote on the UK Government’s plans. We will be working hard to encourage MPs to speak out and not allow these unjust cuts to go ahead.
A consultation on the Pathways to Work Green Paper, which sets out the UK Government’s welfare and employment support reform plans, closes at the end of the month. Alongside sight loss organisation partners, we’ll be submitting our joint response outlining our opposition to the benefit cuts and recommendations for supporting more people with sight loss in to work.
How you’ve campaigned with us so far
Writing to your MP
Over 2000 of you have written to your MP using our simple form, to share your concerns with them about the UK Government’s benefit plans. This means 94 per cent of all MPs have received at least one email from a constituent about the cuts.
The more that MPs hear from you, their constituents, the more they will appreciate the impact the changes would have on blind and partially sighted people, and the higher the chance of them raising concerns about the plans in parliament.
If you haven’t written to your MP yet there’s still time! Join over 2000 others!
Focus groups
In May we held focus groups on employment and benefits, where you had your say on areas such as eligibility criteria for PIP, assessment processes and the UK Government’s Access to Work scheme. This feedback helped to inform a joint sight loss response to the plans, which RNIB is leading on.
Activity with sector colleagues
In March we joined other leading charities in signing an open letter addressed to the Chancellor, opposing cuts to disability benefits. The letter, organised by our friends at Scope, detailed the devastating impact that cuts could have on disabled people and urged the UK Government to work with the sector on an alternative way forward.
Members of the Vision Partnership attended a meeting hosted by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in May with the Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir Stephen Timms. Volunteers and representatives from organisations including the Macular Society, Guide Dogs, Retina UK, Thomas Pocklington Trust, Glaucoma UK, and Visionary, shared their personal experiences directly with the Minister. A major focus of the conversation was the anxiety surrounding proposed welfare and employment reforms, alongside the persistent backlog of Access to Work applications.
Media activity
It’s vital that we keep talking about the impact of these cuts to the media to help build pressure on MPs and government. If you want to share your story, you can get in touch with us at [email protected] or by calling the RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999.
We’ve supported blind and partially sighted people to raise their concerns and opposition to the cuts in the media, including Birmingham Live, Big Issue and on BBC Radio 4, among others:
- I'm terrified of losing my PIP benefit in DWP cuts because it gives me independence' - Birmingham Live
- Blind people fear the DWP's plans for PIP cuts and benefit changes
- BBC Radio 4 - In Touch, Benefits Reform; Answering Your Questions
Support from RNIB
At RNIB, we understand that benefits are more than financial support - they’re about independence, dignity, and daily life. Our Counselling Team is here not just to respond, but to walk alongside you. We’re hearing from people who feel anxious, angry, or simply overwhelmed, and we want you to know: you’re not alone.
If you need support you can call the RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or email [email protected].
