Overview

• Two additional cases of claimant deaths linked to DWP errors, involving wrongful debt chasing, have been uncovered, intensifying scrutiny of the department.
• Kristie Hunt and Karen McBride were both wrongly pursued for erroneous benefit debts, contributing to their deaths in 2023 and 2022, respectively.
• The DWP minister announced plans to reintroduce formal safeguarding measures and replace the Work Capability Assessment with a unified PIP-based evaluation.
• Campaigners warn that the proposed £5 billion in welfare cuts, including tightened PIP eligibility and frozen Universal Credit health top-ups, could lead to further deaths and increased poverty.
• Parliamentary inquiries and protests continue to demand statutory safeguarding duties and accountability reforms for vulnerable claimants.