To: The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer KCB KC MP

CC: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

RE: Demand to Immediately Withdraw Planned Cuts to Disability Benefits

Dear Prime Minister,

We, a collective of Deaf, Disabled and/or Neurodivergent (DDN) people with public profiles, write urgently on behalf of our community to demand that the government withdraw its inhumane and catastrophic plans to cut disability benefits, including Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and the health-related component of Universal Credit.

If these plans go ahead, 700,000 families already living in poverty will face further devastation. Over 3.2 million disabled people and their families will be affected. This is not reform; it is cruelty by policy.

Under the government’s proposals, people will no longer qualify for the daily living element of PIP unless they score a minimum of four points in a single daily living activity. This is a radical departure from the current system, where points are accumulated across areas of need. As a result, someone who cannot wash below the waist or needs support to eat may be deemed “fit” and cut off from lifeline benefits.

The changes don’t stop there. The health component of Universal Credit will be cut by nearly half, from £97 to £50 per month for new claimants, and payments will be frozen below inflation for existing recipients. Worse still, losing PIP will automatically strip people of the health element of Universal Credit – causing a domino effect of financial ruin.

The proposed cuts will:

• Strip financial support from those who need it most
• Push hundreds of thousands of families deeper into poverty
• Reduce access to care, equipment, transport, and basic needs
• Overwhelm councils, which rely on PIP assessments for social care
• Remove eligibility for Carer’s Allowance from thousands of unpaid carers
• Deepen social exclusion and increase disability-related deaths

According to Scope, disabled households face an average of £1,010 extra costs per month – even after existing benefits. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation warns that by 2029/30, individuals could lose 16–58% of their income. Some will be unable to cover food, bills, or housing. Many will lose their homes. Homelessness amongst disabled households has risen by 75% since 2019.

Already, 69% of people referred to food banks are disabled. These numbers will surge. The Trussell Trust, Carers UK, and multiple disability organisations have raised the alarm. Every £1 removed from PIP will cost local councils £1.50 – these cuts won’t save money but will displace suffering and drive up public costs.

There are over 16 million disabled people in the UK, yet not even a quarter of those receive PIP. Those who do are the most in need. For us, PIP is not a benefit – it is access to life. Without it, people are left housebound and isolated. As many cuts to PIP are not consulted on in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we fear they will be enacted without debate or DDPO (Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations) input.

The community is also alarmed by the government’s strict focus on getting disabled people into work to justify the cuts. This is worsened by Access to Work backlogs – some wait over six months. For many, PIP is essential to enter and remain in employment.

We have already endured a decade of austerity, disproportionate pandemic losses, and life-costing cuts. Our community is on its knees. Framing welfare cuts as “incentives” to work implies that disabled people must earn their place in society through productivity – a dangerous narrative. Disabled lives are inherently valuable – whether someone can work or not.

In an inaccessible world with high additional costs for disabled people, PIP and Universal Credit are lifelines. They offer the stability and support needed to live and, where possible, work. Removing them undermines the autonomy and inclusion your government claims to promote.

An inclusive society doesn’t punish those needing support – it invests in them. A just society backs all its members, not just the economically efficient. Real inclusion begins by recognising every person deserves respect, security, and support – regardless of work capacity. Anything less is not inclusion, but exclusion disguised as reform.

There have been many tears and sleepless nights in our community these past months – people unsure how they will survive. This isn’t just financial – it is existential.

We demand the government immediately withdraw these cuts and engage meaningfully with disabled people and DDN-led organisations to co-design a fair, compassionate, and sustainable benefits system that supports, not punishes, disabled lives.

This is a matter of justice, survival, and basic human rights.

We, the undersigned, will not stand by while our community is sacrificed for the illusion of savings. We urge the Government to stop #TakingThePIP

Sincerely,

Jack Thorne, writer

Rosie Jones, comedian

Rose Ayling-Ellis, actor

Liz Carr, actor and activist

Ruth Madeley, actor

Mat Fraser, actor

Lenny Rush, actor

Cherylee Houston MBE, actor

Ade Adepitan – Journalist and TV Presenter

Jordan Jarrett-Bryan, sports reporter

Lee Ridley, comedian

Jack Carroll, comedian

Sophie Morgan, presenter, writer and campaigner

George Robinson, actor

Lisa Hammond, actor

Mr Alex Brooker, Presenter

Nadia Nadarajah, actor, writer and creator

Cerrie Burnell, writer, actor and creator

James Moore, actor

Sophie Stone, Actor

Francesca Martinez, performer and writer

Dr Shani Dhanda, Broadcaster & Accessibility Specialist

Lisa George

Stu Richards

Samantha Baines, author, actress and broadcaster

Rhiannon Clements, Actor 

Tom Shakespeare

Leon Harrop, actor

Jenny Sealey OBE, joint CEO/ artistic director of Graeae

Jess Thom, artist

Annalisa Dinnella

Marc Woods, paralympian

Bethany Black, actor, comedian and writer

Bryony Arnold, executive producer

Nickie Wildin, theatre and radio director

Paula Garfield MBE, artistic director of Deafinitely Theatre

Ewan Marshall, television producer/director

Simon Startin, actor

Kiruna Stamell, actor

Hollie Bowes

Melissa Johns, actor, writer and Co creative lead of TripleC

Jon Furlong, actor

Ekow Otoo, actor and model

Natalie Amber, actor and dancer

David Proud, actor and writer

Angela Clarke, screenwriter and author

Genevieve Barr, writer and actor

Krissi Bohn, actor

Dr Laurence Clark,

Dr Steph Lacey, actor and writer

Jo Coffey, actor

Zak Ford-Williams, actor

Reece Pantry, actor

Rachel Charlton-Dailey, journalist and author

Gabriella Leon, actor and writer

Cara Jayne Readle, actor

Matilda Feyiṣayọ Ibini, writer and filmmaker

Lucy Webster, writer

Mik Scarlet Wallace, broadcaster/Journalist

Tanya Motie, executive producer

Ella Maisy Purvis, actor

Lizzy Luxford, author

Chloe Vollenweider, historian and theatre maker

Laura Guthrie, designer and director

Ally Castle MBC, media consultant

Dame Evelyn Glennie CH, Musician and Founder of The Evelyn Glennie Foundation

Paul Noble MBE, sports commentator

Elle McNicoll, author

Andy Gilbert, company director

Robert Softley Gale, artistic director

Gareth Berliner, actor

Suzanne Bull MBE

Dr Richard Butchins, filmmaker and artist

Cathy Reay, author

Kate Monaghan, producer and director

Anna Landre, researcher

Ella Glendining, writer, director and actor

Ellen Jones, author

Laura Elliott, author and journalist

Ru Jones, influencer

Ione Gamble, editor and writer

Nick Ransom, journalist and neurodiversity consultant

Faith Alabi, actor

Dr Polly Atkin, writer, bookseller and critic

Hannah Shewan Stevens, journalist

Ciara McCarthy, activist and content creator

Eliza Rain, content creator

Lisette Auton, author and playwright

Jodi-Alissa Bickerton, deputy artistic director of Graeae

Penny Pepper, author, poet and activist

Jo Verrent, Director of Unlimited

Mark Harrison, activist

Briony May Williams, TV presenter

Lizzie Huxley-Jones, author

Sophie Woolley, writer and actor

Dr Erin Pritchard, academic

Toby Hadoke, actor, writer and comedian

Amy Forrest, actor

Katie Erich, actor

Simon Minty,

Mel Rodrigues, Chief Executive, Creative Access

Dr Amy Kavanagh, Activist and Disability Professional

James and Lucy Catchpole, authors and literary agents

Robin Surgeoner MBE PLY, artist, activist, coach and re-empowerer

Elspeth Morrison,

Karina Jones, actor

Gem Turner, Content Creator

Stefan Krywiuk

Sara Schirazi, producer and director

Celestine Fraser, writer and filmmaker

Caroline Stickland, CEO of Transport for All

Holly Cocker

Andrew Roach, Talent Manager

William Mager, scriptwriter

Dr Rachael Boast FRSL, writer

Lou Chandler

Shari Desilva

Andrew Miller MBE

Josh Merritt, screenwriter and playwright

Dr Cath Nichols, writer and academic

Sam Renke

Julie Fernandez, access coordinator and campaigner

Jemma Moore, actor

Shannon Murray, Actor, Lawyer and Writer

Ellie Henry, actor

Heloise Beaton, screen inclusion consultant

Jess Gardner, producer

Dr Sally Huband, writer

Ali Briggs, actor

Amy Conachan, actor

Caitlin Hamilton, actor

Kate Stanforth

Daisy Lafarge, novelist

Monique Jarrett, dancer and model

Tracey Lazard, CEO of Inclusion London

Eugene Grant

Anthony V. Capildeo FRSL,

Dr Jay Watts, consultant clinical psychologist

Alim Jadavji

Roxy Murray, Advocate

Melissa Parker 

Dan Edge