Disability benefit cuts will cost taxpayers more than they will save, charity warns

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. It is estimated that around 16,600 MS sufferers will lose out on PIP support because of the government’s 20-metre rule – which bans anyone who can “safely” walk 20 metres from receiving the higher rate of mobility support. Disability cuts: People with mental health problems left behind as benefit changes take effect Genevieve Edwards, director of external affairs at the MS Society, accused the government of “squandering millions from the public purse while derailing lives”. “We’ve long known about the enormous harm caused when PIP takes vital support away from people with MS,” she said. “Scrapping this senseless rule would stop this unnecessary waste and help people with MS finally get the support they need.” A DWP spokesperson said people who can walk more than 20 metres could still receive the enhanced rate of the mobility component if they could not do so safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly or in a reasonable time period.