‘DWP were pushing, pushing, pushing my wife to kill herself, but nothing has been done’

A grieving widower has accused the disability minister of trying to erase the role of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in his wife’s suicide.

An ombudsman concluded earlier this year that DWP failings were a “significant contributing factor” in her death.

Tracie, from south London, “spiralled into a deep depression” after DWP removed the daily living part of her personal independence payment (PIP) following a review of her eligibility in July 2019.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) later concluded that DWP – which eventually admitted that its decision on her claim had been wrong – failed to consider the relevant evidence properly.

Now the minister for social security and disability, Sir Stephen Timms, has written to the family’s MP, Ellie Reeves – chair of the Labour party and sister of the chancellor, Rachel Reeves – who took up the case on behalf of Tracie’s widower.

But despite the ombudsman’s criticism, there is no apology in Sir Stephen’s letter, and he makes no mention of the finding that DWP’s failures were a significant factor in Tracie’s suicide in March 2020.

Instead, he expresses his “sincere condolences” and praises her widower’s “courage in continuing to raise these concerns, as well as for bringing his late wife’s case to my attention”.

Instead of discussing DWP’s role in her death, Sir Stephen mentions that the department’s own secret internal process review (IPR) highlighted “concerns about the quality of the Health Assessment provider”, Atos, which was then discussed at the department’s serious case panel.

But DWP is refusing to provide the family with a copy of the IPR, or to say if the department itself was criticised in the secret review.

It rarely even considers providing IPRs to the families of deceased claimants, because it says they are intended for DWP learning.

Mohammed*, who has fought for justice for his wife in the five years since her death, told Disability News Service (DNS) this week that he was furious that DWP had not discussed its own role in Tracie’s death in the letter.

He said: “The letter shows that nothing has changed.

“They killed my wife with their decision on her PIP, but they don’t mention any of the damage they have done.

“It is not right. It’s like nothing happened and they are just saying: ‘Oh, she died.’”

He believes criminal action should be taken against DWP civil servants responsible for his wife’s death.

He told DNS: “If I parked my car wrong, I would get a ticket, but they were pushing, pushing, pushing my wife to kill herself, and nothing has been done.”

DWP is carrying out a review of the PIP assessment process, led by Sir Stephen, which will report in autumn 2026.

But the department declined to say this week why Sir Stephen had not mentioned the strong criticism of DWP in the ombudsman’s report, or to say if the IPR included any criticisms of the department.

But a DWP spokesperson said in a statement: “Our thoughts and condolences remain with Tracie’s loved ones.

“Protecting the millions of people we support every year is a priority, which is why we are creating a new safeguarding approach – based on the consultation held earlier this year – that will improve the experiences and lives of those who rely on our services.

“We are yet to receive any DWP-specific recommendations from the ombudsman on this tragic case.

“If we do receive any, we will consider them in full.”

The ombudsman has previously told DNS that it is now looking at whether DWP needs to make “wider changes to its service and the way it considers benefit claims”, as part of a broader piece of work which includes an investigation into Tracie’s suicide and the death of another disabled claimant.

Ellie Reeves declined to comment on the IPR, or on whether she was concerned that there was no mention by Sir Stephen in his letter of the ombudsman’s criticism of DWP.

But she said in a statement: “My casework team and I have been supporting [Mohammed] since 2020, including referring his case to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

“I was pleased to meet him and his son at a recent constituency surgery, where we discussed the findings of the ombudsman’s report, and I subsequently wrote to Sir Stephen Timms on his behalf.

“As I understand it, the PHSO has contacted [Mohammed] directly regarding compensation, and I would encourage him to seek further specialist advice.”

At last year’s Labour conference, Sir Stephen pledged to “open up what is going on in the Department for Work and Pensions to public scrutiny” and told DNS that “public scrutiny is a good thing, and it puts pressure on ministers and on civil servants to have the consequences of what they are doing known about publicly”.

*Not his real name

** The Department: How a Violent Government Bureaucracy Killed Hundreds and Hid the Evidence, DNS editor John Pring’s book on the years of deaths linked to DWP, is published by Pluto Press

***The following organisations are among those that could be able to offer support if you have been affected by issues raised in this article:  Mind, Papyrus, Rethink, Samaritans, and SOS Silence of Suicide

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