Conservative proposal to cut DWP benefits for autism, ADHD, anxiety and depression claimants, Digi Mart USA News (United Kingdom): The Department for Work and Pensions has been accused of writing off disabled people under the Labour government. Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Conservative Party, said it was “destructive” to permit people with mild mental health conditions to claim welfare benefits.
The Conservative leader is pledging £36bn worth of cuts from Britain’s benefits bill. Under the proposed crackdown, claimants citing autism and ADHD as their “main disabling conditions” would be in the firing line if the Conservatives are elected.
Anxiety and depression could also be at risk.
In an update on Tuesday, Badenoch said: “Labour MPs think cutting welfare is always cruel… Of course, there are people who genuinely cannot work. We must have a safety net for those people.
But the reality is that millions of people can and do contribute to our economy, to their families, to their communities, even when they face serious challenges.”
She added: “Double amputees run marathons. People who are housebound do wonderful creative work from home.
People with autism run some of the biggest tech companies in the world.” She said that if a young person is told their ADHD means they are defective, that mindset is likely to be more destructive to their future than the condition itself.
Badenoch argued that personal responsibility has given way to an expectation that the state should solve every problem. “Society set out to be kind, but this is not compassion,” she said.
A Labour spokesman responded that the Tories “let the welfare bill soar on their watch” and designed and implemented the current benefit system. He said that in the Tories’ last year in government, the welfare bill rose by a record £33bn.
The spokesman said Labour is tackling the collapse in face-to-face assessments, introducing personalised employment support for sick and disabled people, and spreading opportunity to young people through the Youth Guarantee. He said further reforms will follow the Milburn and Timms reviews.
