Debbie Abrahams

Debbie Abrahams

Labour — Oldham East and Saddleworth

Speaking in the House of Commons on 1 July 2025

Debate

Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill

Contribution

I have not yet seen the details, but it is a subject that I raised, and, as we know, the funding will follow. Covid exacerbated these problems, as did the mental health crisis that we have experienced in the United Kingdom, especially among young people. A UK Millennium Cohort study shows that the key drivers of the NEETS levels are poverty and austerity, as well as other issues faced by families. Let me get back to the Bill. I thank the Government for the concessions that they have made to date to protect existing PIP claimants and people on UC LCWRA with severe conditions or terminal diagnoses. Th growing evidence of the potential harms that they would have experienced was significant, and it was the right thing to do. However, people who are newly disabled or who acquire a health condition from November 2026 will also need help with their extra costs. The New Economics Foundation has estimated that 150,000 people will be pushed into poverty as a result of no longer being eligible for PIP.

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