The Conservative Party has set out a plan to reduce benefit spending by a claimed £36bn. According to the Guardian, more than a third of the proposed savings would come from cutting support linked to ill health and disability. These are political proposals, not changes to the current rules governing benefit payments.
Kemi Badenoch presented the document, “Welfare That Works”, on 10 November 2026. As the Guardian reported from the press conference, the Conservatives had already proposed the cuts. This presentation added details about their implementation and the reasoning behind the plan. The £36bn figure remains the party’s stated savings target: the report does not independently verify the calculations or specify the period they cover.
Changes to PIP assessments
During questions, Helen Whately outlined plans to redesign assessments for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), a benefit intended to help with the additional costs of disability or long-term health conditions. According to her comments reported by the Guardian, the plan would introduce stricter requirements for medical evidence.
Whately also argued that responsibilities relating to fit notes should move from GPs to occupational health specialists. This is a separate element of the proposal, alongside changes to PIP assessments.
Badenoch argued that the system should focus on what people can do, while acknowledging the need for a safety net for those genuinely unable to work. However, the report does not establish how many people would lose benefits, how much individual payments would fall or when the proposed measures would take effect.
What was said about EU citizens?
The press conference also included a question about excluding European Union citizens from plans to restrict foreign nationals’ access to benefits. Badenoch referred in her response to post-Brexit commitments. Her comments describe a political position on the proposals; they do not mean that every EU citizen is entitled to every benefit.
For people receiving support, the key distinction is between a party announcement and the rules currently in force. The publication of “Welfare That Works” does not itself change benefit eligibility. Nor do the proposals described provide a basis for calculating how any individual claimant’s payments would change.
