The Guardian | G Smallman/Getty
hen ministers announced an overhaul to welfare payments last week that will result in an estimated 1.2 million disabled people losing eligibility for personal independence payments (Pip), they did not mention the sweeping knock-on effects. Because Pip is a “gateway”, any disabled person who loses the benefit will not only lose that income but other entitlements too, such as free prescriptions and council tax deductions. Most starkly, removing someone’s Pip will mean their unpaid carer losing carer’s allowance – in effect pulling away two main strands of a family’s income at once.
