DWP benefit claimants to lose 'up to £4,900' if Labour keep Tory plans

As Labour's first Budget looms and Chancellor Rachel Reeves weighs how to balance the £22 billion "black hole" left in the nation's finances by the previous Tory government, concerns are growing that a derided change to Work Capability Assessments carried out by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), might end up going ahead despite the change at Number 10.

Government benefits have already proved a fruitful way to slash day-to-day spending, with millions of pensioners now missing out on the £300 Winter Fuel Payment, unless their monthly income qualifies them for the Pension Credit top-up. But under Conservative plans to change the DWP's disability benefit assessment, roughly 450,000 benefit claimants could lose as much as £4,900 a year, according to the Resolution Foundation.

The change would make it more difficult for disabled Brits to qualify for the Limited Capability for Work Related Activity (LCWRA) award, which is worth £416 a month and means the claimant is unable to, and therefore does not have to, find gainful employment. Currently, this level of disability accounts for the majority of people who go through the DWP assessment system.

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When this change was initially floated under the previous government, it was with the intention to reduce the number of people dropping out of the labour market due to mental health difficulties, while keeping the LCWRA as "a safety net for those with the most severe mental or physical health conditions."

Part of this change would have been the removal of the "substantial risk" distinction, which now accounts for around a fifth of successful claims for the higher award of disability benefit. This distinction