Planned freeze to PIP disability benefits set to be scrapped but eligibility criteria could be tighened, say reports
Proposals to freeze some disability benefits are reportedly being scrapped after concerns from Labour politicians about the scale of planned welfare cuts.
The work and pensions secretary had been under pressure to cut the benefits bill and was expected to cancel an inflation-linked rise to the personal independence payment (PIP).
But it is reported those plans will be ditched by Liz Kendall, despite the Chancellor Rachel Reeves insisting “we do need to get a grip” on the welfare budget, saying the “current system is not working for anyone”.
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Welfare system ‘letting people down’
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Reforms to the welfare system are expected to be announced this week, ahead of the spring statement on 26 March.
Explainer: Where could welfare cuts be made?
Some MPs fear drastic cuts to support for the most vulnerable, but Ms Kendall may have attempted to partly address concerns from cabinet colleagues and Labour backbenchers about the scale of the reforms.
Almost four million working-age adults in England and Wales currently claim incapacity or disability benefits, up from 2.8 million before the pandemic.
It is being widely reported that instead of scrapping a rise in PIP, savings could be achieved by changing the eligibility criteria along with cutting the top rate of incapacity benefit.
Ms Kendall told The Sunday Times it was an “absolute principle” to protect welfare payments for people unable to work. “For those who absolutely cannot work, this is not about that,” she said.
She said the number of people on PIP is set to more than double this decade, partly driven by younger people.
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‘Government’s plan to cut welfare is terrifying’
“Increasingly, there is lots of clear evidence that work is good for mental health and physical health too… social security alone for many people will never be the key to a better life. It should be a springboard and not trapping people,” she told the newspaper.
Ms Kendall has revealed plans to give disabled people the right to try employment without the risk of losing their benefits.
The so-called “right to try guarantee” aims to prevent those people who receive health-related benefits from having their entitlements automatically re-assessed if they enter employment.
The Observer said the details are due to be announced as part of a green paper on Tuesday.
Read more from Sky News:
Welfare cuts could trigger backbench fight
Tough choices the chancellor has to make
Harriet Harman: Stop briefing against DWP
Research published in February by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) showed the number of 16 to 34 year-olds who are long-term sick with a mental health condition has reached 270,000, increasing by 60,000 (26%) in the last year alone.
Some on benefits ‘taking the mickey’
The figure for all working-age people is 790,000, an increase of 140,000 (22%) over the last year.
Responding at the time to those figures, Ms Kendall said some people on benefits were “taking the mickey”.
“I have no doubt, as there always have been, there are people who shouldn’t be on those benefits who are taking the mickey and that is not good enough – we have to end that,” she told ITV News.
The same survey found 200,000 people receiving health-related or disability benefits were ready to work if the right job or support was available.
Welfare cuts are supported by the Conservatives, albeit the party has accused Labour of “dithering, delay and division” on the issue.
Meanwhile, the SNP argues any planned cuts to disability payments should be “abandoned”, and disability charities have expressed a similar view.
Sky News’ Trevor Phillips will be looking at all the political headlines this week from 8.30am this morning. He will be joined by Health Secretary Wes Streeting, shadow education secretary Laura Trott and former national security adviser Lord Ricketts.
Toncoin Open Interest (OI) has jumped 67% over the past 24 hours amid reports of Telegram founder Pavel Durov’s departure from France, where he had been required to stay since his arrest seven months ago.
On March 15, Toncoin (TON) OI — a metric tracking the total number of unsettled Toncoin derivative contracts such as options and futures — reached $169 million, representing a 67% increase from the previous day when the reports of Durov’s departure first surfaced, according to CoinGlass data.
Toncoin open interest reaches highest level in 42 days
It is the highest level of OI in Toncoin since Feb. 1, when it was sitting at $171.49 million.
TON is The Open Network’s native cryptocurrency and is the exclusive blockchain infrastructure for Telegram’s Mini App ecosystem.
Toncoin open interest surged 67% on March 15. Source: CoinGlass
TON’s price jumped 17% over the same 24-hour period, trading at $3.45 at the time of publication, according to CoinMarketCap data.
Trading resource account Crypto Billion said in a March 15 X post that Toncoin is “showing signs of a potential long-term accumulation phase as it stabilizes near key support levels.”
However, if this rally is short-lived, around $18.8 million in long positions could be liquidated if TON’s price falls back toward the $3 level it was trading at on March 14.
Toncoin open interest also surged after arrest in 2024
The court reportedly allowed Durov to travel to Dubai, a city with no extradition agreements with many countries.
The market’s reaction hints at the potential significance of this case for the crypto industry. Many are worried that Durov’s arrest in August 2024 in France could set a precedent for cracking down on other privacy-focused services. He was accused of running a platform that enables illicit transactions.
Related: Bitget predicts TON ‘de-Telegramization’ in the next 2 year
Similarly, when Durov was arrested in August 2024, TON’s OI also surged.
Following the news of Durov’s arrest on Aug. 24, 2024, TON’s OI spiked 32% over the following 24 hours, alongside its price falling almost 12%.
On Jan. 21, Telegram announced it would cease support for all blockchains other than The Open Network for its messenger services.
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Politics
The two big unknowns left up in the air after Starmer’s ‘coalition of the willing’ Ukraine summit
There was one clear, united message from today’s virtual meeting of leaders – that they rejected Vladimir Putin’s “yes, but” approach to a ceasefire.
The “coalition of the willing” – the 27 leaders, plus NATO and the EU led by Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron – want the Russian president to mirror Ukraine’s pledge for a 30-day pause in fighting, in order to hammer out a sustainable peace deal.
Sir Keir made that very clear, and suggested the attendees at the meeting were behind this approach.
Ukraine war latest: Putin’s ceasefire conditions ‘not good enough’
The prime minister said: “Volodymyr [Zelenskyy] has committed to a 30-day unconditional ceasefire, but Mr Putin is trying to delay, saying there must be a painstaking study before a ceasefire can take place.
“Well, the world needs action, not a study, not empty words and conditions. So my message is very clear. Sooner or later, Putin will have to come to the table.”
‘Coalition of the willing’. Pic: Downing Street
There are two reasons for this challenge – an immediate end to fighting is a goal in itself, but many of those in today’s call, including Sir Keir, do not trust Mr Putin to uphold promises on peace and are trying to convince US President Donald Trump to be more clear-eyed about the Russian approach.
Challenging the Russian leader to follow the US request for a ceasefire and watching him refuse is designed to send a message to the White House as well as the Kremlin.
There were, however, bigger unknowns left hanging.
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One of which was the clear signal from Sir Keir that he is still relying on a US security guarantee in order to bring on board a “coalition of the willing” who might be able to provide troops to Ukraine.
There are, however, many that don’t think that that US security guarantee is coming in any substantial way, based on the noises coming out of the US.
That is a big problem for the PM, as government sources tell me that the scope and the remit of any potential peacekeeping force is determined by what protection the US might be able to provide.
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The second issue that is being sidestepped by Sir Keir is what any peace keeping might be able to do in practice.
UK troops, like those of any NATO country, cannot engage directly with Russia in combat for fear of triggering a much bigger conflagration.
So if not that, then what is their purpose – a question repeatedly asked by experts like the former national security adviser Lord Ricketts.
I put exactly this to the PM, but did not get an answer. He suggested that we were a long way away from getting an an answer, even though military chiefs also appear to be meeting to “operationalise” plans on Thursday.
How can they operationalise a plan that does not, and currently cannot, have a remit?
Today Sir Keir heralded the participation of Canada, Australia and New Zealand on the call, as part of the effort.
But if the remit of the coalition of the willing isn’t clear, how can it truly be effective?
Politics
Starmer to host virtual meeting of ‘coalition of the willing’ – and demand ‘concrete commitments’ on Ukraine
Sir Keir Starmer will host a virtual meeting of world leaders today to discuss peacekeeping in Ukraine, and he will use the call to say that now is the time for “concrete commitments”, Downing Street has said.
Around 25 leaders are expected to join the call this morning, in which they will discuss in more detail the peacekeeping mission the prime minister has called the ‘coalition of the willing’.
Sir Keir will ask allies to continue to ramp up military support to Ukraine.
He will also say countries need to increase economic pressure on Russia in the short term, and be prepared to support an eventual peace deal over the long term, should an agreement be reached.
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Attendees will also receive an update on the discussions of defence ministers and military chiefs in Paris this week, and they will all set out details of their own efforts to unlock further military support for Ukraine.
Downing Street has confirmed that some European countries, the EU Commission, NATO, Canada, Ukraine, Australia and New Zealand are expected to join the virtual meeting.
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Is a ceasefire in Ukraine still viable?
Starmer: The world needs to see action
In a statement ahead of the call, the prime minister said: “We can’t allow President Putin to play games with President Trump’s deal.
“The Kremlin’s complete disregard for President Trump’s ceasefire proposal only serves to demonstrate that Putin is not serious about peace.
“If Russia finally comes to the table, then we must be ready to monitor a ceasefire to ensure it is a serious and enduring peace, if they don’t, then we need to strain every sinew to ramp up economic pressure on Russia to secure an end to this war.”
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Peace ‘must be secure’, PM tells Sky News
He went on to accuse the Russian president of “trying to delay” by “saying there must be a painstaking study before a ceasefire can take place”.
“The world needs to see action, not a study or empty words and pointless conditions,” he continued.
“My message to the Kremlin could not be clearer: stop the barbaric attacks on Ukraine, once and for all, and agree to a ceasefire now. Until then, we will keep working around the clock to deliver peace.”
Sir Keir has said Britain could send peacekeepers to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire deal, but has called on Washington to offer a security ‘backstop’ to those forces.
Russia casts doubt on potential ceasefire
The meeting comes after Ukraine backed the US’s proposal for a 30-day ceasefire.
But the Russian president has said “lots of questions” remain over that proposal, and that a ceasefire must lead to “long-term peace” which “would remove the initial reasons for the crisis”.
Read more:
The ‘coalition of the willing’ that could secure peace in Ukraine
Russia sticks to red lines on 30-day Ukraine ceasefire plan
Trump’s fixer was made to wait eight hours to meet Putin
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Putin lists ceasefire conditions
Moscow has reportedly also presented a “list of demands” to the US to end the war, which would include international recognition of Russia’s claim to Crimea and four Ukrainian provinces and an agreement that foreign troops not be deployed in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Mr Putin’s remarks were “very predictable” and “very manipulative”, adding that the Russian president was preparing to reject the ceasefire proposal he agreed with the US.
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