Rishi Sunak’s speech was dangerously inaccurate- he has attempted to label all benefit claimants as ‘lazy’ for not accessing ‘plenty of available jobs’. Just because a job might be available doesn’t necessarily mean it is suitable for the applicant or employer. Here at Changing Realities all the work we do is based on changing peoples negative perception of low income families and giving a realistic insight into our daily struggles, but the Prime Minister has just taken a huge step backwards and belittled any progress I felt we were making.

From Monday 6th May 2024 the Administrative Earnings Threshold will increase again to the following:

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Single claimants: 18 hours @ NMW = £892 per month

Joint claimants: 29 hours @ NMW = £1437 per month

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If you earn below the AET you must show you’re actively looking for more, better-paid, or be available for more work.

My son, in his 20's, works on a NMW in a 20 hour a week contract. He grabs as much over time as possible. Sometimes allowing him to work as much 40 hours per week at times. So for the vast majority of the time he never actually qualifies for UC anyway.

But it begs the question how are his employer's supposed to find the additional hours he needs for UC purposes if they don't have them?

So he's obliged to dump the job he loves and has accrued benefits in and a good reputation and the possibility of promotion to start from scratch with a different employer not to mention he's established a routine for himself his young child and the child's mother, all because the government has messed up the economy?

Where's the stability and security in doing any of that? Even back when he was trying to earn extra wages in the evenings for a pizza delivery company, how can anyone sustain early starts and late nights, burning the candle at both ends? Obviously he then has to declare loyalty to one job or the other when he's expected to be flexible in both roles?

His health sufferers whenever he is stressed as it is.

The sooner this heartless government goes, the better as far we weren't concerned.

Totally inhumane of them.

So brave of the government, to attack people who can't fight back themselves...

It just proves to me that this government is still totally out of touch with the reality of people and families living on a low income and the struggles that we have to live with on a daily basis. I certainly don't believe that anyone would choose living on benefits as a lifestyle, these sort of remarks are also concerning due to the stigma many face, with the fact that we are often looked down upon and not treated as equal by people that are not in the same situation. I certainly do not choose to live on benefits, but as a single parent with mental and physical health problems I have no other choice and my daughter has no choice but to rely on what little I am able to provide for her. The announcements in this speech are just adding more stress and pressure on myself and my health. There is no possible way that I can make any more cut backs to our lives, when we barely afford to feed and keep ourselves warm now. Health services are not available with enough fully trained staff to deal with the real scope of mental health problems and the way they affect peoples lives. I have suffered severely over the years, all that is ever done is to change or increase medication, the help I need is just not available, as my needs are not understood, it is normal now to wait several months to even get an appointment, which then means finding a way of travelling often out of the local area, then being passed around the system not recieving the needed help due to lack of understanding. Many of these announcements should be abandoned and the Prime Minister should appologise for the dissrespect and suffering this will cause to thousands of families. It's just another way for the government to push the blame for their financial instability on to those having to live on low incomes and away from the own mistakes including greed and fraud within there own parties and offices. Every one from any background in this country needs to push for a change so we can all be treated as equal and respected no matter what situation we are in. Benefit claimants do not choose this way of life and it is not just daily worries and stress that cause it, so don't forget it may also happen to any one of you.

Its painful, hurtful and damaging when your own government, the agency that's supposed to protect and provide for the most vulnerable in society, when they tell the world that people like you are trying to scam them. When they say they'll over therapy instead of money to live when your living costs are higher due to your disability. Saying we're a drain on the tax system and all but criminalising is for disabilities that are outside our control.

Here's a cost cutting idea, a real unnecessary drain on taxes, government workers expenses. I've been to Westminster, I saw the food menu they offered to their staff there, it's nothing like your usual staff menu or college cafeteria menu. They get rich folk food at our expense. They are wealthy people who don't need expenses but take them anyway.

Stop pointing the finger of blame for your governments failures at the most vulnerable of society and learn to reap what you sow.

It's scary for me, I know others in similar situations to me who are suicidal due to this, one additional stress on top of another. It's not healthy to be hated by the idiots who blindly believe what government has to say without any critical thinking.

Plus, sorry, the "they should get therapy" part is hilarious to me. My case with the NHS mental health system has been closed, not because I don't need them cos I do, but simply because they don't have the resources that I need (aka the right therapy) - I've done everything they can offer me and none of it has worked, none of it can because there is no cure for my type of mental illness, but despite my needing support their policy is to close cases they "cant do anything for". And privately, the very specific therapy I'm told I'd need that's not available on the NHS, is on average £250 per weekly session. I can't afford that, that's more than PIP. So my money is spent on bills and food and things to do that are aimed to manage my symptoms, which includes things to prevent me from ending my life so I can try to be the best mum I can be for my kids for as long as I have left in me. I'm under no delusions, it's unlikely I'll make it to pension age, I just want to see my children grow up and prevent them from being as hated in this country that people like me are.

I wish people had more empathy, more critical thinking skills to see passed the lies of a government that repeatedly prioritises their individual wealth over what's best for the people they are meant to serve.

Just think, when your own government is set against you, what chance do any of us have. Cos once they've done away with us, they'll come for the next group of folk, then the next, until they're at your door and you'll have no one left to help you.

I don't think the reforms will be nuanced enough to cover the very varied circumstances of those with disabilities, unseen disabilities and long-term health conditions. Everyone's situation is different, there shouldn't be a blanket approach. What about the many people with health conditions or who are carers who don't claim PIP or carers benefits? I am one such.

I think his comment about claiming benefits demonises claimants, there are many who, like us, are on in-work benefits simply because our keyworker job roles don't pay enough to cover the bills & we have a child with learning needs.

I don't think a millionaire financial sector economist / MP really has any idea what the reality is for benefit claimants, living month to month, children in poverty, carers unable to afford the electricity for the machines which keep their dependants alive, the threshold now for Free School Meals is so low (around 8k household income)... please explain to me what family could (or should) live on that?

I'm a qualified careers adviser, believe me jobs (& qualifications) are not always easy to come by for everyone... there are a lot of barriers to face & hurdles to jump over.

It really shows his ignorance and determination to paint us as the villains in his economic tale of woes.

Lifestyle choice my a**. I wish I had other options.

Even if I could work, which I wish I could - I get so bored without things to do and one can only craft so much before it feels more like a chore to stave off insanity rather than an activity to benefit my mental health.

But, like many others, I'm literally unemployable in the eyes of the majority of employers. The special accommodations requirements for my disabilities are reason enough to not be hired when you're one of dozens if not hundreds applying for the job, most without accommodation requirements. There aren't many employers willing to do that, where we're less a thinking feeling persons in their eyes and more a human health and safety hazards that they don't want to waste their resources (aka potential profits) to support us do the job regardless of skills, experience or value. We have no value to them, not when they're are dozens more non-disabled alternatives.

A lifestyle choice is spending money to appear a certain way to certain people within your peer group or to others outside your peer group.

You know like how rich folk show off to other rich folk their wealth through parties, yachts, art collections, type of expensive fancy school they or their kids attended, etc.

The lifestyle of disabled people on benefits, especially those with children (heck even non disabled low income family households), is "let's try to not freeze or starve this month" and trying to keep up with basic standards so you don't loose your children to illness or the abusive social care systems that are rigged against the most vulnerable in society.

And on the topic of access support services, it took years to get a GP to even listen to me to refer me to secondary mental health services, literal years. First barrier is getting GPs to take you seriously, the amount of times I was told "oh women are just more sensitive, it's not that serious" or "just sounds like stress to me" or "oh you can't be seriously unwell, you're too intelligent". Now I've finally got support services in place but our area has so little funding that the therapeutic support I need is unavailable on the NHS. So even when one is able to access services doesn't mean those services have the service that you need. Most can't accommodate serious and uncommon mental illnesses beyond simple anxiety and depression.

I think The PM is wrong it’s as though he’s targeting the most vulnerable in society and adding more stigma to those on benefits.

Before these reforms he needs to reform mental health services or should I say provide more services to those who are suffering daily with anxiety, depression etc. The pandemic has caused a lot of uncertainty, fear, and illness both mentally and physically and people shouldn’t completely have to justify themselves over and over and jump through hoops to survive because the PM wants to break a system that’s already broken.

The PM says this is a moral issue well to me he has no morals because restricting peoples benefits, restricting GP’s from stopping people being on sick leave is awful and not trusting our NHS drs is immoral.

Then the data protection looking at bank accounts to me is an invasion of privacy it’s a step to far and will make those on benefits feel targeted and stalked.

These changes for some would be catastrophic, taking away benefits from the most vulnerable members of our society in my opinion will make matters worse , more needing food banks, more in fuel poverty, this will then impact mental health even more leading possibly to more suicide, it’s about time this government looked how the other half really live, how we are not all fortunate and born with a silver spoon in the mouth and realise how out of touch they really are. We need a general election and soon so ordinary people can speak.

Absolutely not. It's so infuriating to hear him speak about people beyond benefits and it being a lifestyle choice. It is not a lifestyle choice. And the fact that he says there's loads of jobs out there if people want them. I've got a job, a full time job. It's not minimum wage yet. I am still on benefits because a full term wage, not enough to live on it is beyond a joke, the way he speaks about people. And it's disgusting that the media is allowed to put things out there. Like prices are coming down in supermarkets, inflation slowing down. That's a lie. Prices aren't going down in supermarkets, they're going up. The rate of inflation has gone down, but overall prices are still going up. It's disgusting that they're allowed to get away with this. And the way they word it, it's just not fair. It's not right.

I think that Rishi and his government just don't understand how debilitating mental health conditions like depression and anxiety can be. I think they think they're always less serious compared to other mental health problems or that claimants are making their symptoms up. What worries me is the tone that comes through, all this talk of fraud and gaming the system etc.. it's a system that is set up and run to work against the people it is supposed to help, that makes it harder and harder to claim and at the same time makes it harder and harder for people using the system to access work because they're not getting the support they need.

My first thought is, the Prime Minister is an a**e.

My second thoughts are that it isn't terribly surprising that people are increasingly struggling with mental and physical health, after fifteen years of systematic underfunding of public services, increasing NHS waiting times, a pandemic due to a virus that decimates immune systems, and multiple socially-isolating lockdowns and school closures.

Of course people are too f**king sick to work sh**ty minimum wage jobs where they'll be mistreated by angry members of the public, injured and burnt out due to lack of resources and adequate tools, and treated as disposable by employers.

The idea that a politician knows more about someone's health than their GP would be laughable if it weren't so bloody serious.

I experienced an “all paid for” work trip to Italy last week. I felt like a complete fraud. That’s how normal people live, making decisions without worrying how better the money might be spent, or even if there is enough money. I could breathe easier. But it wasn’t my reality, and I’m back home now feeling guilty for the luxuries I enjoyed.