Reform UK Plans to Slash £50 Billion From Welfare

Reform UK has announced plans to slash £50 billion from the welfare bill by abolishing key disability benefits for working-age adults, a policy the party says would form the centrepiece of its platform for the next general election. The party's Treasury spokesperson, Robert Jenrick, outlined the proposals in a Sunday Telegraph article ahead of a full policy paper due for release on Monday, August 17, 2026.

The core of Reform's plan involves scrapping personal independence payments (PIP) and the health element of universal credit. These would be replaced by a new "health security allowance," a single, regularly reviewed payment intended only for claimants with the most severe, enduring, and high-risk conditions. Others currently receiving disability-related payments would see their cash entitlement withdrawn. Instead, they would be directed to new council-run disability support accounts designed to cover verifiable additional costs caused by disabilities, such as equipment, home adaptations, and personal assistance.

Reform states that 6.9 million people received disability benefits in Britain in 2025, an increase of 2.5 million over 20 years. The party estimates health and...