Incapacity benefit cuts consultation was ‘misleading’ and unlawful, judge rules
Labour’s plan to push through £3bn of cuts to incapacity benefits has received a setback after a judge ruled an official consultation setting out the proposals was misleading and unlawful,The high court said the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) had presented UK-wide incapacity benefit assessment reforms as a way to support disabled people into work without making clear the “primary rationale” of the proposals was cost savings,The consultation, which was carried out by the previous government in autumn 2023, failed to mention that 424,000 disabled people would see their benefits cut, many losing £416 a month, the judge found,Documents released to the court also revealed that internal DWP estimates suggested the reforms to the “fit for work” test known as the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) would push 100,000 highly vulnerable disabled people into absolute poverty,Ellen Clifford, a disability activist who launched the legal challenge, said the proposed cuts had been “prioritised over lives”.
She urged the government to rethink its proposals “and make the safety and wellbeing of disabled benefits their priority”.Although the consultation was drawn up under the Conservatives, Labour defended it in court in December.The government is committed to reforming the WCA, and to making savings on incapacity benefit spending estimated at £3bn over four years.Labour is expected to publish a green paper in the next few weeks setting out how it will take forward its plans.The party is keen to see more of the 2.
8 million people out of work due to long-term sickness move into jobs as part of its employment strategy.Mr Justice Calver’s ruling found the consultation was “misleading” because it failed to highlight the “substantial loss of benefit” faced by claimants and gave the impression reforms were required to give disabled people the option of employment help, when in reality they were about compelling them to access job help.The judge said the DWP had unfairly neglected to make it plain that cost savings were the rationale for the reforms.The eight-week consultation period was also far too short, given the significance of the proposals.Clifford said: “We now know that civil servants and ministers were making desperate attempts to ‘find’ a rationale for the cuts, which they thought would be less controversial … to make it appear as though saving money was not their primary motive.
It is heartening that Mr Justice Calver agreed with us that this is ‘back-to-front policymaking’.”She added: “The crucial question is what lessons the government should learn from this case.Measures to help the economy should not require the impoverishment and suffering of hundreds of thousands of disabled people.”The DWP’s proposals to reform the WCA would mean most new or reassessed incapacity benefit claimants would not be assigned to the Limited Capacity for Work-Related Activity group.This cohort, the majority of whom are on low incomes, would lose just under £5,000 a year as a result.
Sign up to Headlines UKGet the day’s headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morningafter newsletter promotionCampaigners have long argued that the proposals were primarily a cost-saving measure, and that the employment opportunities for claimants were overstated.The Office for Budgetary Responsibility has estimated that only 3% of claimants affected would be able to move into work.David Southgate, a policy manager at the disability equality charity Scope, said: “It’s good that the previous government has been called out for its mistakes.Proposed changes to the WCA were only about saving money, not meaningful change.Life costs a lot more when you’re disabled, and cutting support to those who need it most will lead to even more disabled people living in poverty.
”Ayla Ozmen, the director of policy and campaigns at the anti-poverty charity Z2K, said: “As the current Labour government sets out its own plans to reform the disability benefits system, the ruling sends a clear message that it cannot mask a cost-cutting exercise with claims of increased employment.”A government spokesperson said: “The judge has found the previous government failed to adequately explain their proposals.As part of wider reforms that help people into work and ensure fiscal sustainability, the government will re-consult on the WCA descriptor changes, addressing the shortcomings in the previous consultation, in light of the judgment.The government intends to deliver the full level of savings in the public finances forecasts.”
FTSE 100 hits record as interest rate hopes push down UK borrowing costs
The UK’s blue-chip stock index has hit a record high, as hopes of interest rate cuts this year drove down government borrowing costs.Almost every share on the FTSE 100 rose on Friday, the fall in the value of the pound bolstering multinationals listed in London and propelling the index above 8,500 points for the first time.The “Footsie”, which tracks the 100 biggest London-listed companies, rose 1.6% to hit a fresh intraday high of 8,533.43 points amid growing confidence that the Bank of England would ease monetary policy this year
FTSE 100 share index hits record high; relief for Rachel Reeves as UK borrowing costs fall – as it happened
Boom! Britain’s blue-chip share index has hit a new alltime high.The FTSE 100 index, which tracks the hundred largest companies listed in London, has jumped by over 1% to 8480.36 points in early trading, above its previous intraday high of 8474 points set last May.Stocks are on a three-day rally, which started on Wednesday when UK inflation dropped unexpectedly, potentially paving the way for several interest rate cuts this year.Today’s disappointing retail sales figures, folowing Thursday’s weaker-than-expected growth data for December, have added to hopes that the Bank of England will ease monetary policy this year
EU asks X for internal documents about algorithms as it steps up investigation
The European Commission has asked X to hand over internal documents about its algorithms, as it steps up its investigation into whether Elon Musk’s social media platform has breached EU rules on content moderation.The EU’s executive branch told the company it wanted to see internal documentation about its “recommender system”, which makes content suggestions to users, and any recent changes made to it, by 15 February.X has been under investigation since December 2023 under the EU’s content law – known as the Digital Services Act (DSA) – over how it tackles the spread of illegal content and information manipulation. The company has been accused of manipulating the platform’s systems to give far-right posts and politicians greater visibility over other political groups.The EU has come under growing pressure in recent weeks to take action after a series of interventions by Musk into European politics
Labour’s investment in AI isn’t as clever as it thinks it is | Letters
There are at least three major concerns to raise with the government’s apparent betting the future of the UK on so-called artificial intelligence (‘Mainlined into UK’s veins’: Labour announces huge public rollout of AI, 12 January).The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.First, as Prof Shannon Vallor at the University of Edinburgh has pointed out in her book The AI Mirror, generative AI is not creative; it only looks backward
Lindsey Vonn’s ‘impossible’ comeback roars on with 2026 Olympics in frame
She’s past 40 with a knee made of titanium, but Lindsey Vonn’s comeback is already bucking expectations and crackling with the promise of a fifth Olympic GamesThere’s no denying the nervous apprehension that rippled through the ski racing world after Lindsey Vonn announced her shock comeback in November. She’d walked away nearly six years earlier due to a battered right knee worn down by a string of gruesome crashes and multiple surgeries, no longer able to endure the punishing demands of the circuit. Now she was proposing a return on the wrong side of 40 with a knee made of titanium to a high-risk sport where no woman has ever won any top-flight race past 34 years old.But a funny thing happened on the way to Vonn’s humiliation. In the two months since her unretirement, she’s finished 14th in a super-G at St Moritz, before improving to sixth and fourth in her next two races at St Anton
Jack Draper goes the distance again to beat Vukic and set up Alcaraz clash
Throughout the early days of Jack Draper’s young career, questions around his physical preparedness for his chosen sport followed him wherever he went. As he continually struggled with injuries and endurance issues alike, Draper never failed to hear from those who believe he did not work hard enough, carry himself with sufficient professionalism or care enough about his craft.Those days are over. Forever. For the third straight match in Melbourne, despite his stunted preparation and the rust that caked his game, Draper made his commitment and passion plain to see as he left everything out on the court and somehow found a way to drag himself across the finishing line of yet another frantic five-set match he seemed destined to lose, drawing on his endless reserves of grit and heart in the process
Tories will consider means testing pension triple-lock, Badenoch says
KemiKaze’s ‘relaunch’ speech reveals a Tory leader already out of ideas | John Crace
UK politics: Kemi Badenoch describes Rachel Reeves as a ‘woman problem’ for Keir Starmer – as it happened
Only grant Trump a UK state visit if he agrees to Ukraine summit, say Lib Dems
Suspended Labour MP Mike Amesbury pleads guilty to assault
Labour staff balloted on pay freeze as election win hits party finances