1942

William Beveridge published the Social Insurance and Allied Services report. Read More

1944-1946

The Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944 and the NI (Industrial Injuries) Act 1946. Read More

1946

National Health Service Act (NHSA) and the National Insurance Act (NIA). Read More

1948

National Assistance Act (NAA). Read More

1950

One Nation Conservative Group challenges welfare state universalism. Read More

1965-1966

National Insurance (NI) Act 1965 and the Ministry of Social Security Act (MSSA) 1966. Read More

1965

National Insurance Act. Read More

1 September 1971

Introduction of Invalidity Benefit for people who had to leave their trade or occupation after sustaining an injury or developing a long-term illness. Read More

1980

The Social Security Act (SSA). Read More

Late 1980s to 1990s

UK Conservative Government tries to minimise 1980s unemployment figures by misrepresenting statistics and also misleadingly encouraging the moving of unemployed people onto disability benefits. Read More

Autumn 1992

Peter Lilley (secretary of state for social security) talks about “closing down the something for nothing society” and tightening up on “scroungers” and “bogus asylum seekers”. Read More

10 June 1993

Leaked Whitehall documents reveal plans to cut Invalidity Benefit. Read More

15 June 1993

John Major says it “beggars belief that so many more people have suddenly become invalids”, laying the foundations for the upcoming Social Security (Incapacity for Work) Bill. Read More

1994

US insurance company Unum Provident advise the UK government on ‘welfare reform’ to reduce the number of claimants of long-term sickness benefits. Read More

20 January 1994

The Social Security (Incapacity for Work) Bill and research paper published, discussing role of GPs in determining access to benefits. Read More

July 1995

Professor Wikeley publishes paper highlighting the risks of The Social Security (Incapacity for Work) Act 1994, saying that it reaffirms idea of the ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving’ poor, begins the move away from GP-led benefits assessments, and is designed to encourage people to take up private insurance, leaving marginalised groups with inadequate protection. Read More

1997

Leaked document outlines plans for changes to sickness and disability related benefits based on budget savings Read More

6 January 1997

Regulation 27 ‘substantial risk’ – a key safety net for claimants at risk of serious harm if they are found fit for work – is removed from regulations. Read More

26 March 1998

Publication by the Blair ‘New Labour’ administration of new social security green paper “New Ambitions for our Country: A New Contract for Welfare”, setting out the principles of welfare reform based on the idea of “welfare dependency”. Read More

11 November 1999

The Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 receives Royal Assent. Read More

21 December 1999

‘Permanent Health Insurance’ Westminster Hall debate by Clive Efford MP debated the increasing wrongful denial of PHI claims. Read More

November 2001

Woodstock conference on “malingering and illness deception”, partly funded by UnumProvident and DWP, will play a key role in justifying welfare reform. Read More

13 October 2002 and 17 November 2002

News programmes expose claims denial practices in the USA at Unum (who are currently advising the UK government on welfare reform). Read More

18 February 2003

Ministers try again to remove the “substantial risk” clause from regulation 27, reversing the effect of the Court of Appeal ruling. Read More

1 January 2006

Publication of “Is Work Good for Health and Well-being?”, claims to provide evidence that work is good for health, which will be used by government to justify pressuring disabled people into work. Read More

January 2006

The New Labour government publishes “A New Deal for Welfare” green paper, introducing the new employment and support allowance, which will replace incapacity benefit and include conditionality for most claimants. Read More

25 January 2006

Tony Blair supports welfare shake-up, warning that unemployed people, single parents and those on incapacity benefit that they could no longer expect “a lifetime” on benefit. Read More

2007

New Labour commission report from investment banker David Freud on “reducing dependency” in the welfare system. Read More

31 May 2007

Welfare Reform Act 2007 receives royal assent, introducing changes that will impact millions of disabled people, including the new employment and support allowance (ESA) and the work capability assessment (WCA). Read More

November 2007

Labour’s work and pensions secretary Peter Hain vows to “rip up sicknote Britain.” Read More

9 November 2007

Labour announces the new work capability assessment for claiming employment and support allowance, with DWP claiming that “Fifty per cent of those who take the assessment will not pass it”. Read More

2 February 2008

David Freud suggests that less than a third of those claiming incapacity benefit are legitimate claimants. Read More

17 March 2008

Publication of DWP report on health, work and well-being emphasises cost to the British economy of health-related absence from work. Read More

1 April 2008

Work and pensions secretary (of the Blair administration) announces plans to get tough on “scroungers” by retesting everyone on Incapacity Benefit through the new Work Capability Assessment. Read More

27 October 2008

Introduction of Employment and Support Allowance and the Work Capability Assessment – key elements of Labour’s welfare reform which aims to use conditionality to cut spending on out-of-work benefits. Read More

10 December 2008

White Paper ‘Raising Expectations and Increasing Support: Reforming Welfare for the Future’, which claims that “everyone on incapacity benefit” will be moved to ESA, and supports use of conditionality and sanctions, is discussed in House of Lords. Read More

14 October 2009

The Express publishes misleading and inaccurate benefit fraud story about incapacity benefit claimants “faking their illnesses”. Read More

6 May 2010

Labour government voted out in general election, leading to formation of coalition between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. Read More

22 June 2010

Budget reveals plans to slash spending on disability living allowance through a new assessment process. Read More

28 June 2010

Iain Duncan Smith suggests disabled people are to blame for planned cuts to Disability Living Allowance. Read More

6 October 2010

Prime minister adds to “benefit scrounger” rhetoric aimed at claimants of incapacity benefit. Read More

6 October 2010

Coroner Tom Osborne writes to the father of Stephen Carré, saying he has received no “substantive response” to his prevention of future deaths report. Read More

23 November 2010

Professor Malcolm Harrington publishes his first independent review of the Work Capability Assessment, finding that the system is “impersonal” but not “broken” (later evidence would emerge that he had not been informed by DWP of the coroner’s report for Stephen Carré.) Read More

1 December 2010

The Sun publishes an interview with Iain Duncan Smith on “Benefits Britain.” Read More

January 2011

Daily Mail article wrongly claims that 400,000 disabled benefit claimants were “trying it on”, and that 94 per cent of new claimants are able to work. Read More

June 2011

Publication of “Getting In, Staying In and Getting On: Disability Employment Support Fit for the Future” recommending end to government subsidies for Remploy factories and producing disagreement within the disabled people’s movement. Read More

15 June 2011

David Cameron says the work capability assessment is necessary to stop “bad behaviour.” Read More

25 September 2011

Labour’s shadow secretary of state for Work and Pensions claims Labour lost the 2010 election because it was not seen as tough enough on welfare. Read More

3 October 2011

Iain Duncan Smith tells Conservative party conference that incapacity benefit is abused and open to fraud. Read More

27 October 2011

BBC broadcasts The Future State of Welfare, which mirrors government rhetoric, and uses faulty data, about the work capability assessment system. Read More

October 2011

Research shows a ‘significant increase’ in the number of negative stories about disabled people in national newspapers over the last six years. Read More

November 2011

Evidence emerges of Unum’s influence on UK welfare reform. Read More

November 2011

Professor Harrington publishes his second review of the WCA. Read More

2012

Research report evidences “influence of politicians’ rhetoric” in increasing stigma against benefit claimants. Read More

1 February 2012

Commons invokes financial privilege to pass the Welfare Reform Act 2012, quashing Lords amendments to soften changes to the benefits system. Read More

8 February 2012

Welfare Reform Act, which introduces universal credit and introduces the “bedroom tax”, receives royal assent. Read More

20 June 2012

Email leaked from Jobcentre managers to staff after a claimant attempts suicide after being told his sickness benefit would be cut off. Read More

30 July 2012

Two investigative documentaries about Atos and the work capability assessment (WCA) are broadcast on the same night, showing evidence of target driven assessment culture. Read More

August 2012

Survey finds negative press coverage of disabled people, supported by government in order to justify cuts, is increasing, contributing to disability hate crime. Read More

8 October 2012

George Osborne refers to welfare claimants as “sleeping off a life on benefits” in speech to Conservative party conference. Read More

22 November 2012

Iain Duncan Smith questioned over benefit-related deaths on BBC Question Time. Read More

30 November 2012

House of Commons Library sums up WCA concerns. Read More

2013

Linda Wootton dies nine days after DWP upholds its decision to declare her “fit for work.” Read More

April 2013

The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) comes into effect, introducing funding cuts to legal aid. Read More

6 April 2013

David Cameron tells The Sun that the welfare system has “lost its way” and become a “lifestyle choice for some” Read More

4 May 2013

The death of Stephanie Bottrill  – her suicide note blames the government’s “bedroom tax”. Read More

16 May 2013

Former Atos assessor blows the whistle on unfair practices, saying the DWP is the “real culprit”. Read More

October 2013

Peter Lilley, security secretary in John Major’s government and one of the architects of the Work Capability Assessment, says he has “no regrets” and denies insurance industry influence. Read More

12 October 2013

Rachel Reeves, the new shadow secretary of state for work and pensions, says Labour would be tougher on welfare than the coalition. Read More

5 November 2013

The UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights condemns “intrusive” Work Capability Assessment and the demonization of poor people as undeserving. Read More

December 2013

Publication of fourth independent review of the Work Capability Assessment – with no mention of deaths or suicides. Read More

4 December 2013

Despite the Court of Appeal ruling that the Work Capability Assessment discriminates against people with mental health conditions, the DWP tells senior civil servants it is “business as usual”. Read More

30 January 2014

Managing editor of the Sun appointed director of communications at DWP. Read More

Late September 2014

The new Conservative minister for disabled people insists DWP is right to ignore reports of deaths linked to benefits. Read More

17 March 2015

Rachel Reeves, Labour’s shadow secretary of state for work and pensions, says: “We are not the party of people on benefits.” Read More

7 May 2015

Conservatives win overall majority at general election Read More

22 July 2015

Survey shows that “benefit scrounger rhetoric” is causing disability hate crime. Read More

6 October 2015

Iain Duncan Smith tells claimants to “work your way out of poverty”. Read More

13 October 2015

Priti Patel denies causality between sanctions and suicides. Read More

21 October 2015

Prime minister David Cameron is asked about the death of Michael O’Sullivan. Read More

28 January 2016

Ministry of Justice refuses to investigate DWP’s failure to respond to Stephen Carré prevention of future deaths (PFD) report. Read More

20 March 2016

Iain Duncan Smith accuses government of deliberately attacking disabled people through “indefensible” cuts because “they don’t vote for us”. Read More

19 May 2016

John McDonnell supports calls to prosecute Iain Duncan Smith. Read More

17 July 2016

Kamil Ahmad, a disabled Kurdish asylum seeker, is murdered  Read More

4 August 2016

Jobcentre Plus (JCP) worker caught making racist comments on the phone. Read More

October 2016

Iain Duncan Smith denies responsibility for WCA deaths. Read More

October 2016

DWP publishes Improving Lives: The Work, Health and Disability Green Paper.  Read More

6 November 2016

Government leaks UN committee on the rights of persons with disabilities report to Mail on Sunday in attempt to discredit its findings. Read More

7 November 2016

UN report concludes DWP is guilty of “grave” and “systematic” violations of disabled people. Read More

14 March 2017

DPAC and Inclusion London respond to the UN report, raising the connection between benefit changes, people’s deaths and Government failures. Read More

August 2017

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities committee says government cuts caused “human catastrophe”. Read More

August 2017

DWP data shows some groups are at substantially higher risk of experiencing a jobseekers allowance (JSA) sanction. Read More

31 August 2017

UN demands UK government provide an annual UK progress report on correcting “grave and systematic violations”. Read More

31 August 2017

Portraying UK disabled people as “parasites” could lead to “violence and killings”, says UN chair. Read More

October 2017

Work and pensions secretary David Gauke admits sanctions can harm claimants with mental health issues. Read More

12 October 2017

Government downplays UN disability committee concerns about the UK.  Read More

November 2017

Windrush scandal shows UK Government threatening, detaining, and deporting Commonwealth citizens.  Read More

14 February 2018

The Commons work and pensions committee finds the assessment system is undermined by “pervasive culture of mistrust”. Read More

20 February 2018

Research shows that benefit sanctions regime discriminates against disabled people claiming jobseeker’s allowance (JSA). Read More

18 April 2018

Government responds to work and pensions committee’s report on assessments process. Read More

June 2018

Research published from five-year study into welfare conditionality, findings include link between sanctions and deaths, including suicide. Read More

18 October 2018

The new “minister for suicide prevention” evades questions on statistics showing links between employment and support allowance (ESA) and suicide. Read More

March 2019

Work and pensions secretary Amber Rudd launches Health Transformation Programme – to reform assessment processes. Read More

13 March 2019

Prime minister Theresa May questioned about the death of Jodey Whiting. Read More

14 November 2019

Statistics show most disability benefit fraud allegations are false. Read More

21 February 2020

DWP admits destroying pre-2015 peer reviews into suicides and other deaths of benefit claimants. Read More

22 August 2020

Death of Mercy Baguma, an asylum seeker from Uganda.   Read More

September 2020

Work and pensions secretary denies DWP has duty of care or statutory safeguarding responsibilities for people claiming benefits. Read More

29 September 2020

Work and pensions secretary outlines DWP’s revised guidance on home visits procedures, while again saying the department has no duty of care. Read More

30 September 2020

Work and pensions secretary again tells the Commons work and pensions select committee that DWP has no duty of care. Read More

27 November 2020

Former work and pensions secretary admits harsh benefit cuts were responsible for rising poverty. Read More

3 February 2021

Work and pensions secretary avoids questions on Philippa Day death. Read More

11 February 2021

Secret report (from 2014) casts doubt on DWP’s claim that it has no duty of care. Read More

26 March 2021

Research shows testimony from DWP staff admitting inflicting “psychological harm” on claimants to meet unofficial sanctioning targets during coalition years. Read More

20 May 2021

Pre-2016 internal guidance for DWP staff suggests DWP have duty of care to benefits claimants. Read More

20 July 2021

DWP publishes Shaping Future Support – health and disability green paper – failing to mention the internal process reviews carried out by the DWP following deaths of claimants. Read More

3 October 2021

Work and pensions secretary signals new bid to try to push more disabled people with high support needs into work. Read More

4 October 2021

 The new minister for disabled people says addressing DWP’s legacy of distrust and distress “is a big priority”. Read More

11 November 2021

Families outraged after government hands award to DWP safeguarding team for “outstanding contribution”. Read More

23 November 2021

DWP refuses to publish figures that would show how disabled people seeking to claim universal credit are experiencing the WCA process Read More

2 December 2021

DWP apologises to autistic man after work coach threatens to stick pins in his eyes. Read More

2 December 2021

Government’s reviewer tells MPs how DWP kept vital deaths evidence from him. Read More

8 December 2021

Coffey dismisses call for a new review of the WCA, despite being told of claimant deaths evidence. Read More

1 February 2022

Minister ignores calls from MPs for inquiry into benefit deaths. Read More

19 May 2022

Government brands Disability News Service ‘vexatious’ for trying to obtain information on 90 DWP deaths. Read More

26 May 2022

Concerns over impact of DWP’s new anti-fraud plan on disabled people. Read More

5 July 2022

Figures show Internal Process Reviews (IPRs) into deaths and serious harm of claimants  have doubled in three years. Read More

6 September 2023

MPs refuse to question minister over Deaths by Welfare timeline. Read More