After first sharing plans for disability benefits in April 2025, the Government’s welfare Bill was voted through Parliament in July 2025. Originally the Bill proposed changes to make it harder to qualify for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and reduce the rates of Universal Credit (UC) health payments, without consulting with disabled people or the organisations that represent them. However, after lots of pressure from campaigners and MPs, the Government was forced to make big changes to the Bill. 

Hundreds of thousands of autistic people across the UK rely on these vital benefits to support them in daily life if they cannot work, or to cover the cost of adjustments that make working possible, for example accessible transport to and from work. Thats why we launched the Protect Our Benefits campaign urging MPs to say no to benefit cuts and vote against the Bill.  

Just under 5,000 National Autistic Society campaigners wrote to their MPs urging them to take a stand against the Bill. This pressure worked. Our voices, along with those of the many other disabled people and disability groups campaigning on this, meant more and more MPs stood with disabled people and raised their concerns. The Government was forced to make several changes to the Bill before it was voted through. This included making a last-minute decision to completely remove PIP eligibility criteria changes from the Bill.  

The Government confirmed that instead, there will be a review into the PIP process co-produced by disabled people and MPs will vote on any recommendations from the review before they can go ahead. This came as a big relief to the many autistic people that depend on this vital financial support and proves the impact we can have by campaigning.  

The Bill that has been passed no longer contains some of the most harmful proposals from the original and we are encouraged to see so many MPs speaking up for disabled people. But we still have a long way to go. We are still concerned that the Bill will halve the rate of UC Health element for new claimants and that UC-Health claimants will be assessed against new ‘severe conditions’ criteria replacing the Work Capabilities Assessment (WCA). Those that meet the criteria will not need to apply for work or have future reassessments. However, to be eligible you must have an NHS diagnosis and a condition that is 'constant'. There has been confusion and concern over what ‘constant’ means in this case. Government Ministers have said those with fluctuating conditions will still be eligible but the bill itself says conditions must be constant, we are seeking more clarity on this. 

The review into the PIP process will look at the experiences of disabled people that claim and are assessed for PIP. It’s vital that the review reflects the reality of the full range of disabled people that need PIP, including autistic people. We must make sure that disabled people are meaningfully involved in the entire process and that the recommendations the review shares, truly reflect their needs and experiences. We will be working hard to make sure that this happens.