Labour must end the target-driven culture of disability benefit assessments, many claimants said, describing them as “cruel” and trying to “catch them out”.
Disabled claimants anxiously await changes to personal independence payments (PIP) – worth up to £800 a month – as the Government prepares an overhaul in a bid to bring down the growing welfare bill.
While campaigners are keen for reform of PIP assessments – which some former assessors have described as rushed – there are fears that ministers could try to cut spending on the benefit altogether.
Children among 20 missing after Cyprus ferry sinking
A specialist team equipped to search deep waters was due to arrive from Turkey on Tuesday as emergency crews pressed on with efforts to find 20 people missing after a ferry capsized off northern Cyprus.
What happened?
- A ferry carrying 267 people capsized and sank off the coast of northern Cyprus on Sunday.
- The Filo Jet left the town of Kyrenia and soon started to take on water.
- Survivors reported the ferry moving erratically, with its last hard impact with the water’s surface breaking the bow of the vessel.
Everything we know so far
There are still 20 people unaccounted for, including an unknown number of children.
Passengers interviewed in local media claim they begged the captain to turn around, then were left scrambling for life jackets.
Captain Mustafa Oz, 66, and seven crew members have been arrested over the incident.
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Search efforts continue
Visiting Kyrenia on Monday, Tufan Erhürman, president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is not recognised by the UK, said the search would “continue with the same intensity, with no interruption, through the day and night”.
A mother, Ayten Bicer, felt her 12-year-old daughter slip from her hands and disappear as the ferry capsized. Her daughter and son, six, are among the missing.
Badenoch’s Tory reshuffle – what you need to know
After she took over as leader of the Tory Party almost two years ago, Kemi Badenoch pledged not to hold a reshuffle before the next general election.
What are the big changes?
- Badenoch has ruthlessly dispatched Stride as shadow chancellor.
- Patel has also been replaced as shadow foreign secretary.
- MPs Andrew Griffith and Tom Tugendhat will replace them.
- Damien Hinds has been selected as the new shadow Health Secretary, while Katie Lam comes in on housing.
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Tories stuck in the polls
One reason for the shakeup is the Conservatives’ position treading water in the shallow end of the polls.
“It’s partly because the Tories are stuck in the polls and can’t budge forward, so they hope a refreshed team will do it. Only time will tell,” one Tory source said.
The latest BMG poll for The i Paper, published this weekend, puts Labour on 27 per cent, Reform on 23 per cent and the Tories on just 18 per cent.
The contradiction for Badenoch is that her personal ratings are improving.
Stride biggest casualty of reshuffle
Stride was one of the biggest names relegated to the backbenches. One insider revealed: “Mel isn’t well liked across the party and hasn’t really waded in on big things.”
They added, though, that he had been held back by a lack of staff – which will need to be remedied if Griffith is to perform better.
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Everything else to know
- Chris Philp survived the cull to remain as shadow Home Secretary. One insider said he “works hard” and had begun to get some traction on illegal immigration.
- Lam has become the new shadow Secretary for Housing. She replaces James Cleverly, who announced on Saturday that he was quitting to run in the next London Mayor election.
- The appointment of Griffith as shadow Chancellor shows Badenoch plans to prioritise the economy in her next election pitch.
Trump may review US stance on Falkland Islands
Donald Trump has indicated he is reviewing the US stance on Britain’s sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.
The US has typically remained neutral on the Falkland Islands, while recognising British administration of them.
What did Trump say?
I always review every position. That’s just one of many.
Trump said the US stance on the status of the Falklands is “one of many” positions he is considering.
In April, a Pentagon memo was leaked suggesting the US could recognise Argentina’s claim to the islands to punish Britain for not joining the war on Iran.
US officials also reportedly considered including the option as a way to pressure the UK to hit its Nato spending targets.
The British response
Chancellor John Healey told he was not aware of a suggestion that the US position could change.
“The Falkland Islands will remain British as long as the Falkland Islands want that to happen,” he added.
But last week, a US official told that Washington may change its position over the islands if the UK doesn’t meet its defence spending commitments.
Trump wades into Falkands dispute
It’s the first time Trump has commented on the islands’ sovereignty.
The UK would struggle to defend the Falklands if Trump followed through on threats to withdraw US support for British sovereignty, analysts have warned.
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Uk politics
Former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer is to quit Parliament, saying he felt it was the “right time” to step down as an MP just weeks after leaving Downing Street.
His resignation will trigger a by-election in his Holborn and St Pancras constituency, where Starmer’s majority was cut by 17 per cent in the 2024 election amid anger over Gaza.
What we know so far
- Starmer told the he had spent the summer reflecting and decided it was the “right time” to go.
- He said he intends to focus on international affairs – including defence, security, trade and technology.
- Green Party leader Zack Polanski could use the by-election to make a run for Parliament.
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What has Starmer said?
It has been a huge honour and privilege to represent the best constituency in the country and to have taken over from Frank Dobson, who was such a great constituency MP and a member of the last Labour government.
keir starmer in the camden new journal
What next for the former PM?
Starmer said he intends to pursue a career working on international affairs and continue his long-running campaign against violence against women and girls.
He has already been linked with the post of NATO secretary-general when Mark Rutte’s term ends in 2028, although there is no suggestion that he has formally put himself forward for the position.
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us news
Ex-gang boss found guilty over Tupac Shakur murder
Former gangland boss Duane “Keffe D” Davis, 63, has been found guilty of orchestrating the killing of rapper Tupac Shakur in 1996.
It is the first time anyone has been convicted over the infamous drive-by shooting.
What you need to know
- The jury found Davis guilty of one count of murder with a deadly weapon.
- Prosecutors argued that Davis did not fire the gun himself, but had masterminded the killing.
- He is a former gang leader and uncle of the man long suspected of shooting Tupac.
- After the verdict, Davis said he plans to appeal his conviction. He is due to be sentenced on 13 October.
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What happened on the night
The cold case has rumbled on for decades, with witnesses allowing police to piece together the chain of events before the rapper died.
- On 7 September, 1996, Tupac went to watch a Mike Tyson boxing match on the Las Vegas strip.
- He and Marion “Suge” Knight, the head of his record label, got into a fight with Orlando Anderson, Duane Davis’s nephew and a suspected member of the South Side Compton Crips gang.
- Leaving the match with Suge, Tupac was shot four times in a drive-by shooting from the back of a white Cadillac.
- Six days later, on 13 September, he died in hospital. He was 25 years old.
What convinced the jury?
The prosecution used Davis’s 2019 memoir, , in which he wrote he had been in the white Cadillac when the shots were fired.
In closing arguments, prosecutor Binu Palal urged jurors to find Davis guilty, saying: “He’s the shot caller – in every instance in every iteration he’s the leader of the South Side Crips.”
Super flu vaccines start for pregnant women and children
Millions of children and pregnant women across England can get an updated flu vaccine from today.
Flu jabs: What you need to know
This year’s vaccine will protect against the Super-K strain which was rampant last year.- Schoolchildren and pregnant women will get priority as they can easily catch and spread flu.
- Other vulnerable groups, including those aged 65 and over, will be eligible for a free jab from October.
- Children over two will be offered the vaccine as a nasal spray, while adults will receive an injection.
- Pharmacies, GP surgeries and schools will offer the vaccines on the NHS.
Why is it important?
Dr Amanda Doyle, a national director at NHS England, said: “Last year’s flu season came early and was made worse by a new variant, which had a major impact for patients and put enormous pressure on urgent and emergency care services.”
She added: “With services already under significant pressure, it is vital that everyone offered the vaccine comes forward.”
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Facts and figures
- Jabs will be given in locations including mobile vans.
- Last year’s flu season started a month early with the Super-K strain.
- Children are offered a vaccine in September as flu spreads quickly.
- Almost 19 million people had flu jabs last winter, preventing 104,000 hospital admissions.
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uk politics
Burnham to tell MPs more public control needed
The Prime Minister is set to call for greater control over public services like water, energy and transport in his first House of Commons statement since entering No 10.
What is he calling for?
Burnham held a Cabinet meeting this morning as the Government set out plans to build more prison spaces.
He has already announced cuts to VAT on energy bills and business rates for pubs and clubs and plans to overhaul social care.
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Burnham’s first test in the Commons
Today’s speech will be Burnham’s first time at the dispatch box in 16 years.
He is expected to face a two-hour grilling from MPs when he stands up in the Commons on Tuesday this afternoon.
On Wednesday, he will face Tory leader Kemi Badenoch during his first Prime Minister’s Questions.
Burnham is expected to face questions on how he plans to fill a £4.7bn black hole in defence spending.
Burnham has ‘clear plan’
- The PM is considering legislation to to bring struggling utilities under government ownership.
- He is set to tell MPs the cost of services to families is harming the economy.
- Burnham is set to promise a plan to regain control of these costs.
- A No 10 source said: “Andy is optimistic about our country’s future. He has a clear plan for how we turn things round.”
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As the Government’s review of PIP is set to conclude this autumn, charities have urged Andy Burnham to focus on making the system less hostile, rather than attempting to squeeze eligibility.
Almost two in five (40 per cent) people with multiple sclerosis (MS) felt they were treated as if they were lying during PIP assessments, according to an MS Society survey shared with The i Paper.
Over half (52 per cent) said their fluctuating symptoms weren’t understood or taken seriously by an assessor. 50 per cent said invisible symptoms weren’t properly assessed either.
Sian Pugh, who has relapsing MS, said the process of trying to get PIP from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) was “combative and exhausting”.
The 60-year-old, from Orpington, suffers from debilitating pain in her legs and feet during bad days, made worse by osteoarthritis in her knees.
The former teaching assistant, who had to stop working a few years ago due to her health, has also struggled with depression and anxiety.
Pugh has claimed PIP for the past 10 years. However, she had her daily living PIP benefit briefly taken away in 2019 after failing to win enough points needed for the award during an assessment.
The rejection letter cited Pugh being able to pick up “two medium-sized bags, one was full of folders” during the interview as a reason to deny her sufficient points.
Pugh said she had one small bag with one small folder. “It was so petty,” she said. “It was used as a way of saying how able I was. There wasn’t an attempt to understand how my condition fluctuates.”
The rejection letter also said Pugh had a “normal manner”. She was “not anxious” and had “no active mental health input”, it stated.
Pugh said she provided evidence that she was on the highest dose of an antidepressant at the time.
The rejection letter “suggested that I didn’t seem depressed – that I looked fine so I must feel fine”, she said. “It feels like they’re trying to catch you out.
“It’s completely dehumanising and demoralising, because it creates this feeling that you are a scrounger trying to cheat the system. It’s cruel.”
‘I’m still nervous about what Labour might do’
After appealing the decision at a tribunal, Pugh won the higher rate of daily living PIP in 2020.
She currently receives the higher rate of daily living PIP and the lower rate of mobility PIP – around £580 a month – after another re-assessment last year.
But she worries that PIP could become more difficult to get in future.
“What Labour tried to do last year to make it much harder to get [PIP] was horrendous,” said Pugh. “I felt so disillusioned I left the Labour Party.”
Sir Keir Starmer was forced to ditch plans to squeeze PIP eligibility last year after a rebellion by Labour backbenchers.
The PIP bill is forecast to rise from £32.1bn this year to £44.7bn by 2030-31, and Burnham has said that the UK must “get really serious” about the cost of welfare. Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden has also said the system was struggling with a rise in claims from people with anxiety, depression and neurodiversity.
Some claimants could see their cash benefits replaced with more access to therapies, equipment or employment support, The i Paper reported in July.
However, disabilities minister Sir Stephen Timms, who is leading the Government PIP review, told The i Paper that his study has so far not “looked at changing eligibility on the basis of a diagnosis”.
“Meeting Stephen Timms and some of his team reassured me they do know that assessments to change,” Pugh said, referring to a recent meeting held at the MS Society’s office.
“But I am still nervous about what they [Labour] might do, whether it’s restricting spending or introducing things like vouchers, which would make things more difficult.”
‘Frightens me what right-wing parties could do’
The Conservatives have said they would urgently reassess all “mild” PIP claims, citing anxiety, depression and ADHD.
Reform UK said all those claiming PIP for “mental health or trivial conditions” would be reassessed as part of its plan to cut welfare by £50bn a year.
“It really frightens me what the right-wing parties could do in future,” Pugh said.
“It’s not realistic or fair to target mental health conditions on conditions like autism. The system should be there for everyone who needs support.
“The kind of cuts Reform are talking… how is that possible? Do they want disabled people begging on the streets?”
A recent BMG Research poll for The i Paper found that 56 per cent of people support replacing PIP’s cash benefit with services.
Charities stress that PIP has never been an out-of-work benefit, but aimed at paying for the extra costs of having a disability. Many PIP claimants are in work.
Charlotte Gill, head of campaigns at the MS Society, said the Timms review “must deliver a better system built on fairness, dignity and respect.”
A DWP spokesperson said the review’s interim report had made clear “that PIP is no longer fit for purpose”.
They said the Government was already improving the system “by extending award review periods, increasing face-to-face assessments, and helping sick or disabled people into jobs”.