The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) is bragging about how “successful” the Managed Migration to Universal Credit has been. This is despite over 360,000 vulnerable people being stripped of vital benefits in the process.
The DWP announced the closure of Employment Support Allowance and Housing Benefit following the campaign to force claimants to move to Universal Credit.
They bragged:
Over 1.9 million people now better supported to find good, secure jobs as the Government moves customers off outdated benefits and on to Universal Credit
Considering ESA was a benefit for disabled people who couldn’t work as much or at all, it’s absolutely gross that the focus here is on work. But it doesn’t come as a surprise from the department that wants to force disabled people into work by any means necessary.
What about those who haven’t migrated?
However, this ignores how many haven’t been able to claim or have been stripped of their benefits. The DWP sent out over 2,352,886 managed migration notices, and 1,985,703 have moved over. That means 367,183 people haven’t successfully moved over yet and could have them stripped away.
That means a huge number of disabled people who already live in poverty will be forced into even harsher living conditions. As the Canary has previously reported, making the move is especially difficult for chronically ill and disabled people, who struggle with stress and lack the energy to fill in excessive forms.
An internal report showed that some disabled claimants often have very little of what they were being asked to do. As a result, many failed to make a new claim for Universal Credit and lost their legacy benefit.
It’s been such a cause for concern that mental health professionals have warned the DWP that migration will put claimants at risk.
The National Association of Welfare Rights Workers told Work and Pensions committee chair Debbie Abrahams that:
These claimants will all have long-term health conditions and/or disabilities, and their legacy benefits are likely to be their only source of income. A failure to migrate to universal credit therefore carries a high risk of destitution, rapid deterioration in their health, and even death.
The latest DWP statistics, published on 11 November 2025, provide a detailed analysis of the migration of the ESA cohort to universal credit. The Department highlights that, for those sent a migration notice between July 2024 and May 2025, 3% failed to make a claim to universal credit and had their legacy benefits stopped. However, for claimants who were in receipt of ESA only, the figure alarmingly doubles to 6%.
Many lose out while DWP pushes workshy narrative
What’s also missing is that many forced onto UC have their benefits reduced and somehow have to survive on less as prices rapidly increase. Policy in Practice found that around 200,000 households lost around £59.54 a week. That’s over £230 a month that people are just expected to do without.
The DWP release also only mentions two of the benefits that are being amalgamated into Universal Credit. Others have an even worse success rate. As the Canary has previously reported, nearly a quarter of Tax Credits claimants who’ve been forced onto Universal Credit ended up without any benefits.
And once again, despite ESA claimants having already been found too sick to work, the DWP is obsessed with pushing the workshy narrative.
This Government is committed to updating the welfare system so that it promotes opportunity, rather than stifling it – as part of our Plan for Change.
The campaign means the number of people on Universal Credit has increased, particularly the number of people who receive the benefit with no requirement to look for work, as, since June last year, the focus has been on moving vulnerable people from Employment and Support Allowance.
There’s absolutely no need for them to constantly mention people with ‘no work requirements’ other than to remind people of this fact. By using this wording, they make it sound like people are choosing to work, as opposed to not being well enough to.
While the DWP are celebrating ‘supporting’ so many to switch to UC, it’s clear what their motives are. It’s easier to push people into work from Universal Credit, and even easier to turn the public against people with ‘no work requirements’.
Featured image via the Canary
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