News

Universal Credit and PIP Reform Bill sparks national outcry

Published

6 months ago

June 18, 2025

Charities warn cuts could plunge disabled people into hardship as MPs prepare to vote

A NEW welfare reform bill introduced by the UK Government has triggered fierce criticism from charities, disabled rights groups, and MPs, who warn that the proposed changes could push hundreds of thousands into poverty.

The Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Reform Bill, tabled in Parliament this week, is being called the most significant welfare cut since 2015. The bill proposes sweeping changes to how disability benefits are assessed and allocated—reforms the government claims are necessary for sustainability, but which campaigners say amount to a rollback of vital support.

Helen Barnard, Director of Policy at the Trussell Trust, said the bill “does almost nothing to ease the concerns of hundreds of thousands of disabled people who fear that their social security support will be ripped from them. In fact, this bill will push nearly half a million more people into severe hardship and towards the doors of food banks.”

What the Bill Proposes

Among the most contentious elements of the bill are:

Stricter eligibility criteria for PIP, potentially removing or reducing support for up to 800,000 claimants.
A reduction in the Universal Credit health element, from £97 to £50 per week for new claimants, frozen until 2029.
Cuts to Carer’s Allowance which could see around 150,000 carers lose up to £4,200 annually.
Three-month transition protections, and special exemptions for terminally ill or severely disabled people—measures many say are too limited.

Charities argue that these changes will disproportionately affect people with mental health conditions, fluctuating conditions, and those who rely on informal care.

Evidence of rising need

The Trussell Trust, which operates a network of food banks across the UK, reports that three in four people referred to their services are disabled or live with someone who is. The charity has directly linked failed benefit assessments to increased food bank use. Their data shows that for every 100 failed PIP reassessments, approximately 93 additional food parcels are handed out.

Furthermore, almost half of all Universal Credit recipients report running out of food monthly, and over a million skip meals regularly due to inadequate support. The cost to public services of hunger and hardship is already estimated at £13.7 billion per year.

Political fallout

The bill has also sparked a political storm. Labour MPs are reportedly preparing a significant backbench rebellion, despite the party leadership instructing them to abstain from voting. Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Alison McGovern has called for the government to publish a full impact assessment before moving forward.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has warned that the proposals could remove up to £4,300 annually in support for around 1.2 million disabled people.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has also raised alarm, estimating that around 600,000 people could lose £2,400 per year as the reforms link UC health payments more closely to PIP entitlement.

Disabled voices

Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC), a grassroots campaign group, has called the legislation “immoral and devastating,” and organised national protests under the banner #WelfareNotWarfare. The Disability Benefits Consortium, which includes charities like Scope, Parkinson’s UK, and Mind, says the bill could particularly harm people with less visible or fluctuating conditions.

Government response

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) maintains the bill is about targeting support more effectively. A spokesperson said the government was “committed to protecting the most vulnerable” and pointed to the inclusion of transition periods and exceptions for the terminally ill.

However, critics argue the lack of a published impact assessment makes it impossible to evaluate who will be affected and how deeply. As of now, no official analysis has been released.

What happens next

The bill is due to be debated in Parliament in the coming weeks. Campaigners are urging the public to contact their MPs and demand a halt until a full impact assessment is available.

If passed, the changes could come into force from early 2026.

The stakes

With over 1.2 million people facing potential reductions or complete loss of disability-related support, this bill marks a turning point in the UK’s social security policy. Critics warn that it risks entrenching poverty and hunger, and undermining the government’s own promises on growth, dignity, and reducing reliance on emergency food provision.

As debate intensifies, one thing is clear: the country is on the brink of a major shift in how it treats its most vulnerable citizens.

Crime

Swansea man dies weeks after release from troubled HMP Parc: Investigation launched

Published

2 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Tom Sinclair

A SWANSEA man has died just weeks after being released from HMP Parc, the Bridgend prison now at the centre of a national crisis over inmate deaths and post-release failures.

Darren Thomas, aged 52, died on 13 November 2025 — less than a month after leaving custody. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) has confirmed an independent investigation into his death, which is currently listed as “in progress”.

Born on 9 April 1973, Mr Thomas had been under post-release supervision following a period at HMP/YOI Parc, the G4S-run prison that recorded seventeen deaths in custody in 2024 — the highest in the UK.

His last known legal appearance was at Swansea Crown Court in October 2024, where he stood trial accused of making a threatening phone call and two counts of criminal damage. During the hearing, reported by The Pembrokeshire Herald at the time, the court heard he made threats during a heated call on 5 October 2023.

Mr Thomas denied the allegations but was found guilty on all counts. He was sentenced to a custodial term, which led to his imprisonment at HMP Parc.

Parc: A prison in breakdown

HMP Parc has faced sustained criticism throughout 2024 and 2025. A damning unannounced inspection in January found:

Severe self-harm incidents up 190%
Violence against staff up 109%
Synthetic drugs “easily accessible” across wings
Overcrowding at 108% capacity

In the first three months of 2024 alone, ten men died at Parc — part of a wider cluster of twenty PPO-investigated deaths since 2022. Six occurred within three weeks, all linked to synthetic drug use.

Leaked staff messages in 2025 exposed a culture of indifference, including one officer writing: “Let’s push him to go tomorrow so we can drop him.”

Six G4S employees have been arrested since 2023 in connection with alleged assaults and misconduct.

The danger after release

Deaths shortly after release from custody are a growing national concern. Ministry of Justice data shows 620 people died while under community supervision in 2024–2025, with 62 deaths occurring within 14 days of release.

Short sentences — common at Parc — leave little time for effective rehabilitation or release planning. Homelessness, loss of drug tolerance and untreated mental-health conditions create a high-risk environment for those newly released.

The PPO investigates all such deaths to determine whether prisons or probation failed in their duties. Reports often take 6–12 months and can lead to recommendations.

A system at breaking point

The crisis at Parc reflects wider failures across UK prisons and probation. A July 2025 House of Lords report described the service as “not fit for purpose”. More than 500 people die in custody annually, with campaigners warning that private prisons such as Parc prioritise cost-cutting over care.

The PPO investigation into the death of Darren Thomas continues.

Crime

Woman stabbed partner in Haverfordwest before handing herself in

Published

3 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Court Reporter

A WOMAN who stabbed her partner during a drug-fuelled episode walked straight into Haverfordwest Police Station and told officers what she had done, Swansea Crown Court has heard.

Amy Woolston, 22, of Dartmouth Street in Milford Haven, arrived at the station at around 8:00pm on June 13 and said: “I stabbed my ex-partner earlier… he’s alright and he let me walk off,” prosecutor Tom Scapens told the court.

The pair had taken acid together earlier in the day, and Woolston claimed she believed she could feel “stab marks in her back” before the incident.

Police find victim with four wounds

Officers went to the victim’s home to check on him. He was not there at first, but returned shortly afterwards. He appeared sober and told police: “Just a couple of things,” before pointing to injuries on his back.

He had three stab or puncture wounds to his back and another to his bicep.

The victim said that when he arrived home from the shop, Woolston was acting “a bit shifty”. After asking if she was alright, she grabbed something from the windowsill — described as either a knife or a shard of glass — and stabbed him.

He told officers he had “had worse from her before”, did not support a prosecution, and refused to go to hospital.

Defendant has long history of violence

Woolston pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding. The court heard she had amassed 20 previous convictions from 10 court appearances, including assaults, battery, and offences against emergency workers.

Defending, Dyfed Thomas said Woolston had longstanding mental health problems and had been off medication prescribed for paranoid schizophrenia at the time.
“She’s had a difficult upbringing,” he added, saying she was remorseful and now compliant with treatment.

Woolston was jailed for 12 months, but the court heard she has already served the equivalent time on remand and will be released imminently on a 12-month licence.

News

BBC apologises to Herald’s editor for inaccurate story

Published

4 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Staff Writer

THE BBC has issued a formal apology and amended a six-year-old article written by BBC Wales Business Correspondent Huw Thomas after its Executive Complaints Unit ruled that the original headline and wording gave an “incorrect impression” that Herald editor Tom Sinclair was personally liable for tens of thousands of pounds in debt.

The 2019 report, originally headlined “Herald newspaper editor Tom Sinclair has £70,000 debts”, has now been changed.

The ECU found: “The wording of the article and its headline could have led readers to form the incorrect impression that the debt was Mr Sinclair’s personal responsibility… In that respect the article failed to meet the BBC’s standards of due accuracy.”

Mr Sinclair said: “I’m grateful to the ECU for the apology and for correcting the personal-liability impression that caused real harm for six years. However, the article still links the debts to ‘the group which publishes The Herald’ when in fact they related to printing companies that were dissolved two years before the Herald was founded in 2013. I have asked the BBC to add that final clarification so the record is completely accurate.”

A formal apology and correction of this kind from the BBC is extremely rare, especially for a story more than six years old.