Ministerial reshuffle raises fear of hardline DWP approach, and education and transport policy delays

A government reshuffle has raised concerns over a possible new hardline approach from Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) ministers, and further delays to Labour action on accessible housing and education.

The major reshuffle saw Liz Kendall sacked and replaced by Pat MacFadden, while housing secretary and deputy prime minister Angela Rayner – who resigned last week over her property dealings – has been replaced by Steve Reed.

Among those raising concerns at McFadden’s appointment was the Benefits and Work website, which highlighted his support for the government’s attempted cuts to disability benefits, including personal independence payment (PIP).

Benefits and Work described him as an “experienced and ruthless political operator likely to strike fear into the hearts of MPs intent on challenging the government’s welfare plans”.

Concerns were raised further when The i Paper reported that McFadden had been charged by the prime minister “with bringing down Britain’s welfare bill and ensuring the system helps the economy by allowing people who are not currently in work to get a job”.

Sir Stephen Timms, who is heading a review into PIP, remains minister for social security and disability.

There are also concerns over the impact of the reshuffle on other government departments.

The Department for Education (DfE) had been expected to publish a schools white paper in the autumn, which is set to include reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system.

But although Bridget Phillipson remains in post as education secretary – and is now campaigning to be Labour’s new deputy leader – schools standards minister Catherine McKinnell, who was responsible for SEND reform, has been sacked.

Georgia Gould, former leader of Camden council, has joined DfE as a minister of state, although it has not yet been confirmed if she will now take on responsibility for SEND.

Mikey Erhardt, policy lead for Disability Rights UK, said the reshuffle “risks putting disabled people even further back in the queue”.

He said: “Accessible housing and SEND reform are urgent priorities, yet every change of minister brings more delay.

“For disabled people and their families, delay is not neutral — it means children waiting longer for support, and adults continuing to live in homes that do not meet their needs.

“Disabled people want stability and action.

“Instead of recycling ministers, government must focus on delivering reforms that make a real difference: secure incomes, accessible homes, and education that meets every child’s needs.

“We are concerned that once again the focus is on cuts and numbers in a spreadsheet, rather than on the lived realities of millions of disabled people.

“Disability benefits are vital to the day-to-day running of the UK economy.

“Weakening them further will harm not just disabled people but our society and economy as a whole.”

Navin Kikabhai, chair of the Alliance for Inclusive Education (ALLFIE), said the timing of the reshuffle was unfortunate, with the schools white paper – and its SEND reforms – imminent.

He said: “This reshuffle will likely result in further delays and add to the existing anxieties experienced by disabled young people and children, their families, and the disabled people’s movement more broadly.

“These issues are also deeply connected to wider problems of welfare cuts, scapegoating, and systemic attacks on disabled people.”

He added: “We hope that the new minister, Georgia Gould, will bring their understanding of the inequalities experienced by children and young people to address the entrenched disablism within the system.

“Our work through the Coalition for an Inclusive Education Act* highlights the creation of a truly inclusive education system, which is long overdue.”

Disabled campaigners have also been waiting for months, if not years, for successive governments to act on accessible housing, with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) telling Disability News Service in late July that it would “set out our policies on accessible new build housing shortly”.

But Rayner’s resignation, combined with the resignation last month of Rushanara Ali – who was the department’s lead disability minister – raises questions over whether that will also be delayed.

Linda Burnip, co-founder of Disabled People Against Cuts, said she could not see any way that the reshuffle “won’t delay announcements on accessible housing and SEND”, despite Labour forcing through the election of a deputy leader to replace Rayner “at a rather unseemly speed”.

At the Department for Transport, Heidi Alexander remains transport secretary, Simon Lightwood will still be the local transport minister with responsibility for transport accessibility, and Lord [Peter] Hendy remains as rail minister.

Meanwhile, Alison McGovern has been moved to MHCLG from her role as DWP’s employment minister, and is likely to be replaced by Dame Diana Johnson, who has joined DWP, although her role has yet to be confirmed.

And rather than splitting DWP into separate departments for employment and social security – as many disabled activists would like – it has become even bigger, with the addition of responsibility for skills.

This sees the role of former home secretary Jacqui Smith – now Baroness Smith – as minister for skills move from DfE to DWP.

At the Department of Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting remains as health and social care secretary, and Stephen Kinnock is still the care minister.

The decision to keep Kinnock in his role was not unexpected in the week that crossbench peer Baroness [Louise] Casey chaired a long-awaited cross-party meeting to discuss the work of her Independent Commission on Adult Social Care.

The meeting, held in the Cabinet Office on Monday, was attended by senior representatives from the Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Green and Reform UK parties, including Streeting and Tory shadow health and social care secretary Stuart Andrew.

Baroness Casey, who chairs the commission, updated the party representatives on its work and asked them each to “share their views on their priorities for reform”.

The commission has so far met with more than 180 people, including those using care and support and representatives of “national organisations and delivery or provider organisations”.

In the next few months, the commission will invite the public, disabled people who use care and support services, and organisations, to submit evidence and share their stories and ideas for improving the adult social care system.

*The coalition is a collective of disabled people’s organisations and allies with an interest in inclusive education and the implementation of an Inclusive Education Act, with members including ALLFIE, Inclusion London and Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People

Picture: Liz Kendall (left) and Pat McFadden

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