Cuts could leave disabled women vulnerable to abuse

Thousands of disabled women could find themselves trapped with abusers as a result of the government's upcoming welfare cuts, campaigners have warned, despite Sir Keir Starmer offering significant concessions on the reforms late on Thursday.

- MILLIE COOKE

In the face of a growing rebellion, the prime minister announced adjustments to his welfare bill, including protecting personal independence payments (PIP) for all existing claimants that is expected to ensure the legislation passes its second reading on Tuesday.

But domestic violence charity Refuge and the Women's Budget Group (WBG) have issued a stark warning over the reforms, saying that in the long term, the cuts to vital funding for daily living costs for disabled people - which will impact all new claimants will make it difficult for those at risk to flee abusive relationships.

Even with the concessions, the welfare cuts will be "devastating for disabled women", WBG said, noting that disabled women are twice as likely to be victims of domestic abuse.

For many, PIP is the only income they receive, WBG warned, so not having access to this source of individual support elevates the risk of coercive control and makes it harder to escape abusive situations.

As a result, Refuge argued, Sir Keir will struggle to reach his target of halving violence against women and girls (VAWG).

A scathing report, published jointly by WBG and disabled women's collective Sisters of Frida, claims the cuts will deepen disabled women's "economic insecurity, increase their vulnerability to violence and abuse, push them out of the labour market, and make parenting harder".

Their analysis, seen by The Independent, shows that women who are future claimants will be disproportionately affected by stricter eligibility rules for PIP.

Currently, 52 per cent of female PIP claimants don't score four points in any one activity compared to 39 per cent of male claimants. This is likely due to the higher prevalence of musculoskeletal conditions and arthritis among women, conditions which are less likely to score four points in one indicator.