On 18th March this year, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall announced Labour’s plans to slash £5 billion from the government’s welfare budget.

The main source of their savings, they propose, will be massive cuts to disability benefits - specifically Personal Independence Payment. Paid to the most vulnerable members of our society, it is a benefit that helps people with long-term illnesses or disabilities cover the extra costs of daily life that they face.

In this special episode of Back from the Brink, we are straying slightly from our usual format and delving a little deeper into the Labour government’s overhaul of PIP, how these changes will be implemented and, most importantly,  how they will affect the disabled people at risk of losing them.

We will hear from three people who will help us understand how these cuts could be life-changing, including a young man who nearly lost his life when he fell about 7 metres onto concrete at just 19 years old and a woman who fought multi-organ failure after catching an infection in her heart. 

We'll also be joined by an expert in inclusion and accessibility to help us unpack what these cuts really mean — and what could come next.

Back from the Brink is a Reach Studio production for the Daily Mirror. It is presented and produced by Cecilia Adamou, and edited by Daniel J. McLaughlin. With thanks to Shabir Noorzai, Nick Appleyard, and Rosanna Cole.

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