âI feel sick at the prospect of welfare cutsâ

The government is set to announce cuts to spending on welfare this week, after the prime minister called the current system âunsustainable, indefensible and unfairâ.
The axe is expected to come down heavily on long-term sickness and disability benefits, especially Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which may see a ÂŁ5bn cut.
An increase in the number of people claiming long-term, health-related benefits has pushed the total welfare bill to ÂŁ64bn a year. Some argue that reforming the system would encourage claimants to work, or work more.
But this has left many people afraid they wonât be able to afford to pay their bills or worried they will have to take jobs they cannot manage.
The BBC spoke to several people concerned how the cuts might affect them.
Alison, 56, who lives with her brother in a council property in Southampton, says she feels âsickâ at the prospect of cuts.
She has been diagnosed with depression, anxiety and PTSD brought on by childhood traumas. She also suffers panic attacks and night terrors. Since Covid she is afraid of leaving the house due to âfear of germsâ.
Alison hasnât worked since she lost her job with Southampton City Council in 1997, and claims both PIP, the main disability benefit, and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) totalling around ÂŁ1,700 per month.
She says she would find it difficult to cope with the pressure of a job.
âItâs not a case of not wanting to [work],â she says. âI think about it all the time.
âBeing on benefits doesnât make me feel happy.â
Alison has been told her benefit entitlement will last until 2027, but she says the prospect of it being cut after that is âextremely upsettingâ.

Emily, 41, lives in Croydon, is autistic and struggles with time management and organising basic tasks for her daily routine.
âMy autism has prevented me from getting jobs in the past,â she says.
âSometimes in interviews I wasnât able to answer any of the questions.
âI was umming and ahhing a lot, repeating myself. When you do that, people think âthis person is strange. We donât want this personâ.â
She is now working full time as a flight attendant and has developed strategies to help with being late, including getting up much earlier to allow extra time before shifts.
She is aware of the criticism benefit claimants often receive. âIâm not a scrounger,â she says.
Emily gets more than ÂŁ400 per month in PIP payments, which are not dependent on the recipientâs income. But the money mostly goes on her regular bills, rather than on the occupational therapy she thinks would really help her to establish a proper routine.
Receiving PIP also means she is eligible for a disabled discount railcard, which makes travel to work more affordable.
âItâs a big thing,â she says. âI would struggle to pay.â
Justine, 42, was born with a painful genetic condition affecting her joints.
Even movements as minor as chopping vegetables or sneezing can result in a dislocation. She has also developed dysautonomia, a condition affecting her nervous system, that can cause her to faint.
The constant pain, and other symptoms, cause fatigue, but she manages to work 14 hours a week tutoring, supporting students with special educational needs.
âFor a year I couldnât work at all. Then I started to get more on top of things. I got a diagnosis and medication and started to feel a bit better.
âBut as far as most of my doctors are concerned, theyâre very surprised I work at all.â
Without the ÂŁ737 financial support each month, which helps pay for help in the house and transport, she says she wouldnât be able to work.
âIt would be counterproductive, it wouldnât save them money,â she says, because her other benefits would rise if she lost her earnings.

Steve from South London had to stop working after a car accident left him with chronic cervical spondylosis, which affects the health of bones and skin on the neck, and brain damage.
He misses working but says taking away his benefits wouldnât mean he was able to take up a job.
âIn my situation, I get a lot of ignorant comments⊠Why donât I jump on a moped on Uber Eats? Everything you do normallyâŠit hurts. If I stand up too long it hurts,â he says.
âWhat am I supposed to do? Float?â.
Steve receives universal credit, as well as incapacity benefits including PIP, but says it is hard to meet his energy bills and pay for food with the income he is on.
âMy life is already at below minimal quality â that will reduce further and health will suffer first,â he says.
Encouraging people on benefits to go back to work can feel like bullying, he says.
âWhen the government say âencourageâ, the reality is âthreatenâ,â he says. âYouâre being threatened back to work.â

Alba, 53, is an IT contractor in Dorking who is currently working for one of the airports near London. While she suffers chronic back pain following two âquite severeâ motorbike accidents, she doesnât currently receive any disability support.
During a period of unemployment last year, when she was eating into her savings to get by, she applied. But in March she was told that she was not eligible.
âThey did their best to assess me â they were fair â and the conclusion is that I can do some work.
âThat is true â but I wanted them to recognise I am in chronic pain,â she says.
She is concerned that if her current contract is not renewed she may find it difficult to find a job that allows her to work from home.
âIâm not able to go to work every day in an office. Iâm literally not,â she says.
Her current employer has been âextremely helpfulâ in letting her work from home, a subject she has spoken to the BBC about before.
âIâm really glad I found this job,â she says.
âI donât want to claim benefits â itâs horrible. Itâs not my style,â she adds. âI donât want to stay at home doing nothing.â