Lords defeat Govt welfare reforms that 'rob the poor'

clock

The government has suffered a significant setback in its welfare reform agenda after the House of Lords defeated three of the coalition's main proposals.

However the government has vowed to press ahead with the process and reverse the amendments when the Welfare Reform Bill returns to the House of Commons. Peers rejected plans to means-test Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) payments for disabled people after only a year. They also defeated proposals to time-limit ESA for those undergoing cancer treatment and to restrict access to the benefit for young people with disabilities or illness. The proposals were branded as morally wrong by Lord Patel, a crossbencher, who said: "If we are going to rob the poor to pay the rich, then we...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Adviser for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence
  • Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters
  • Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection
  • Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
  • Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes

Join

 

Already a Professional Adviser member?

Login

More on Income Protection

Tom Baigrie: 'Insurers and distributors are failing to market IP'

'We need to pick up the pace'

Tom Baigrie
clock 16 November 2020 • 3 min read

L&G paid out almost £300m for group protection in 2018

Rehabilitation services

Adam Saville
clock 09 May 2019 • 1 min read

'One in five' UK businesses lack expertise to manage absence

Zurich research

Adam Saville
clock 04 February 2019 • 1 min read