Contents
DWP disputes Access to Work claim made by its own disability minister. 1
Government adviser on health, disability and work warns against Equality Act crackdown on employers. 2
Disabled students still face barriers, research finds, just as ministers prepare to publish SEND white paper 3
Government’s focus is on ‘punishing’ young disabled people rather than supporting them, activists fear. 5
Other disability-related stories covered by mainstream media this week. 7
DWP disputes Access to Work claim made by its own disability minister
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has disputed claims made by its own disability minister which explained why widespread cuts were made to disabled people’s Access to Work support packages after Labour came to power in July 2024.
Disability News Service (DNS) has been trying for more than six months to clarify when and how Access to Work (AtW) staff were told to apply guidance “more consistently”.
Those orders appear to have led to the proportion of AtW applications rejected rising by more than 12 per cent in 2024-25, and increasing by another 22 per cent in April to October 2025-26, according to official figures released in December.
Disabled campaigners had already warned that changes within Access to Work were leading to significant cuts to support for many individual disabled people.
These concerns led to DNS questioning Sir Stephen Timms, the social security and disability minister, at Labour’s annual conference last September, on why AtW staff were suddenly following guidance more “scrupulously”.
He insisted – as he had in parliament – that there had been no change to AtW policy.
But he told DNS that he had “no doubt seen a submission, which I have said ‘OK’ to, saying that [guidance will] be scrupulously applied, to achieve consistency apart from anything”.
He agreed to find the date on which he approved an order from senior civil servants for AtW staff to be more “scrupulous” in how they applied guidance.
DNS has since been using the Freedom of Information Act to try to obtain the date on which this submission was sent by civil servants to Sir Stephen, for a copy of that submission, and for confirmation of the action the department took.
But DWP’s freedom of information team is now insisting that there was “no submission regarding Access to Work training for case managers”, completely contradicting Sir Stephen’s answer last autumn.
Its freedom of information response now throws into doubt who was responsible for the decision to apply AtW guidance more “consistently” and “scrupulously”, when this happened, and whether Sir Stephen was even notified of the move by senior civil servants.
The Labour government is expected to publish its plans for reform of the Access to Work scheme in the next few weeks.
DWP refused again this week to clarify when and how the decision to ensure case managers were more consistent and scrupulous in applying AtW guidance was made, although it accepted that at some point they had been given additional training to ensure this happened.
It is still unclear what involvement Sir Stephen had in the decision to order this training and when – if at all – he signed off on this move.
But a DWP spokesperson said in a statement: “No changes have been made to Access to Work policy, and we will announce any future changes prior to them being implemented.
“Access to Work supports thousands of sick or disabled people to start or stay in work, but the scheme we inherited is failing employees and employers.
“That’s why we’re working with disabled people and their organisations to improve it – ensuring people have the support, skills, and opportunities to move into good, secure jobs as part of our Plan for Change.”
5 February 2026
Government adviser on health, disability and work warns against Equality Act crackdown on employers
The business leader heading the government’s efforts to keep ill and disabled people in work has suggested to MPs that he does not believe stricter enforcement of the Equality Act is the way to address disability discrimination in the workplace.
Sir Charlie Mayfield, former chair of John Lewis Partnership and of the British Retail Consortium, led the government’s Keep Britain Working review and is now heading a taskforce aimed at shaping how health and disability are managed in the workplace.
But his comments will add to concerns that his efforts are focused on the needs and concerns of employers, rather than those of disabled employees and jobseekers.
Yesterday (Wednesday), Sir Charlie was questioned by MPs on the Commons work and pensions committee about his ongoing work as author of the review and lead of the taskforce set up by the government to work with “vanguard” employers to test his new approach to workplace health.
Much of his evidence to the committee focused on the need not to alarm employers and to ensure that owners of smaller businesses felt his solutions were drawn up “with them in mind”, and on how the taskforce was currently working with employers on a series of key issues.
There was criticism when Sir Charlie’s final review report was published in November that it almost completely ignored the views of sick and disabled people.
In contrast, a string of employers and business organisations – and some charities – have praised the report, which the government hopes will “drive action to prevent ill-health, support people to stay in work, and help employers build healthier, more resilient workplaces”.
Sir Charlie told the committee that his taskforce would be “working with a number of the disabled people’s organisations”, although he did not name any of them.
Labour MP Rushanara Ali (watch from 11.35.50) told Sir Charlie that he had focused in his evidence on the need for “positive engagement” with employers, but she asked him what his thoughts were on the need for stricter enforcement of equality legislation.
Successive governments have been criticised by disabled campaigners for failing to do more to enforce measures in the Equality Act that protect disabled people from discrimination.
But instead of calling for wider use of the act to protect disabled people from workplace discrimination, Sir Charlie told her that the government needed to be “thoughtful and careful about enforceability, or relying on enforcement as the mechanism to achieve change”.
He said that many disabled people’s organisations had called for stricter enforcement of the Equality Act but he believed that “the risk of that is that… you are ratcheting up the fear on the employer side to employ somebody with some kind of potential vulnerability”.
5 February 2026
Disabled students still face barriers, research finds, just as ministers prepare to publish SEND white paper
Disabled young people in the UK still face barriers that stop them taking part in school, college and university on an equal basis with non-disabled people, despite ongoing international calls for inclusive education, according to new government-funded research.
The research, commissioned under the last government, concluded that education staff had “inadequate” training in disability, inclusion and reasonable adjustments, which led to students experiencing “inconsistent support and highly variable experience”.
The research paper – Disabled People’s Lived Experience of Education in the UK – was published as the government prepares to publish its long-awaited special educational needs and disability white paper this month.
It also found that disabled students often experience social exclusion and loneliness, partly due to the attitudes of their peers, and partly due to policies that limit their chances of friendship and social integration.
The report was one of four published by the government last Thursday, all of which were based on research into the lived experience of disabled people in the UK that was carried out by The Centre for Disability Studies at the University of Leeds and Disability Rights UK.
The research was commissioned by the Cabinet Office’s Disability Unit under the last Conservative government, and it examined evidence published by academics between 2010 and 2021.
A second report – on public perceptions and attitudes towards disabled people in the UK – found that society’s attitudes towards disability were “mainly negative”, and often focused on “impairments and limitations”.
This can lead to “infantilisation, pity [and] ridicule”, while some labels – such as “psychosis” and “schizophrenia” – are associated with even higher levels of stigma, said the report.
The influence of intersectionality – how disability combines with characteristics such as gender, age, ethnicity, and religion – often worsens negative perceptions, the report found.
The report suggested strategies such as disability awareness training; positive media representation; building trust between professionals and disabled people; and empowering disabled people to express their identities.
A third report – by academics at the London School of Economics – examined research on disabled people’s experience of housing in the UK.
It stressed the importance of suitable housing that meets disabled people’s needs but found that many professionals who are supposed to assist disabled people in finding a home “do not actually prioritise their needs and wishes”, often because they fail to explore in detail what those needs are.
And it found a lack of disabled people represented on many of the bodies responsible for their housing provision.
The fourth report – by academics at London South Bank University – examined disabled people’s experience of social care and support.
It stressed the importance of disabled people’s relationships with their personal assistants and care staff, and of a “sense of power and agency” when using and accessing social care and support.
And it concluded that moving to a residential care home was “the last resort “when all other options had failed, while research had found disabled people reporting “very positive experiences” of schemes that enable their “socialisation in society”.
But it found that disabled people often felt “isolated, alienated, and excluded even when they are effectively living alongside non-disabled people”.
Two earlier reports based on the research carried out by The Centre for Disability Studies and Disability Rights UK – on disabled people’s experiences of employment and of relationships and loneliness – were published on 17 July 2025.
5 February 2026
Government’s focus is on ‘punishing’ young disabled people rather than supporting them, activists fear
Activists have told an inquiry they fear the government is focusing its attention on “punishing” young disabled people for their needs and challenges, rather than ensuring they receive the support they need.
Members of Disabled People Against Cuts Cymru (DPAC Cymru) raised their concerns in a response to a call for evidence from an inquiry into young people and work, led by former Labour health secretary Alan Milburn.
The response was submitted last week, shortly before the end of the inquiry’s six-week call for evidence.
Milburn was commissioned by work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden to examine the factors driving the increase in the number of young people who are “not in education, employment or training” (NEET).
Disability News Service reported in November that the terms of reference for Milburn’s Report into Young People and Work made it clear that its only focus was disabled young people.
DPAC Cymru said that comments made publicly by Milburn that too many young people were being diagnosed with mental health conditions and were using those diagnoses to claim disability benefits, showed he failed to understand the disability benefits system and the barriers faced by young disabled people.
It said these comments increased its concerns that “the government’s focus is unfairly weighted towards punishing young people for their needs and challenges, instead of considering what can be done to better support them”.
And it said it was “deeply concerned” at the “framing, bias, unfairness, limitations, and lack of independence” of a series of government reviews around disability, including the Milburn review and the review of personal independence payment being led by Sir Stephen Timms.
In its response to Milburn’s call for evidence, DPAC Cymru pointed to the range of barriers faced by young disabled people – particularly those who are neurodivergent or who experience mental distress – that have led to them being forced out of the education and employment systems.
And rather than young people being over-diagnosed – a frequent claim by politicians and across mainstream media, as well as by Milburn – DPAC Cymru said waiting-list evidence suggested there was under-diagnosis, particularly of autism, while thousands of young people also faced lengthy delays in accessing suitable mental health support.
The impact of the pandemic had also left many young people with long Covid, and associated health conditions, DPAC Cymru said.
The DPAC Cymru report calls for better employment support; improvements to the Access to Work and personal independence payment (PIP) systems; and more to be done to ensure disabled people can secure the reasonable adjustments they need in the workplace.
And it says there should be improvements to the key “transition points” faced by young disabled people as they move into the adult social security, employment, health, education and skills systems.
Among its recommendations, DPAC Cymru also calls for a focus on supporting young disabled people in education, rather than “punishing them for their additional needs”; improving awareness and understanding around disability in the workplace; opposing cuts to benefits; and for policy to be co-produced with disabled people.
The DPAC Cymru response – coordinated by Briallen Symons-East – concludes: “There are many ways in which the government can support young disabled people and young people with health conditions in education and employment, but the focus must be on improving the quality and availability of support, not reducing or removing the support that is already available.”
Meanwhile, the three co-chairs of the government’s PIP review – disability minister Sir Stephen Timms, Dr Clenton Farquharson, and Sharon Brennan – have announced the names of the 12 members of their steering group.
Most of the members are disabled people, and several are well-known disabled activists, but there has been criticism of the decision to appoint a special adviser to three Conservative prime ministers – Jean-André Prager – to the steering group.
Prager, a senior fellow at the right-wing thinktank Policy Exchange, called in a report last year for “unsustainable” spending on disability benefits to be cut and suggested that many younger disabled people, particularly many of those with mental distress, should not be eligible for those benefits.
The PIP review will report to work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden by the autumn, with an interim update expected in the next few months.
Brennan said in a government press release: “The group we have chosen shows our commitment to ensuring this review is co-produced with people from a diversity of backgrounds including lived and living experience, protected characteristics, geographies and professions.
“But 15 people can’t represent everyone, which is why our work will be part of a wider engagement process to ensure we hear from many more voices throughout the review.”
Farquharson added: “Personal independence payment plays a vital role in enabling disabled people to live independent lives.
“This review will listen closely to lived experience, test whether the system is fair, and ensure PIP reflects the realities of disability in the modern world.”
5 February 2026
Other disability-related stories covered by mainstream media this week
Ministers have “learned the lesson” of botched welfare changes and are on a sustained lobbying blitz of Labour MPs over an overhaul of special educational needs, Labour MPs have said, as they warned they would not back measures aimed at saving money. The changes will raise the bar at which children in England qualify for an education, health and care plan. Plans will be reserved for children with the most severe and complex needs, according to sources familiar with the proposals: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/feb/01/ministers-lobbying-blitz-avoid-labour-rebellion-send-changes
Ministers have been warned that any dilution of legal rights for disabled children and their families would cross “red lines”, as the government prepares substantial changes to special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision in England. The Disabled Children’s Partnership, which represents more than 130 charities and professional groups, has written to the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, and MPs to raise concerns that the overhaul will “come at the expense of children’s legal protections”. The government is due to publish a white paper in February setting out radical changes to SEND provision: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/feb/02/disabled-children-legal-rights-send-ministers-special-needs-education-england
Health professionals tasked with assessing people for disability benefits are leaving the profession in droves over feelings of being “despised” and “de-skilled”, research from the Department for Work and Pensions has revealed. In a newly-released report, the department says that over half (52 per cent) of its health assessors left in a single year, with 40 per cent of new recruits leaving within the three-month training period: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/dwp-benefit-pip-wca-assessment-lcwra-timms-b2910935.html
5 February 2026
News provided by www.disabilitynewsservice.com
