‘More than 200,000 people have wrongly faced investigation for housing benefit fraud and error after the performance of a government algorithm fell far short of expectations, the Guardian can reveal.’
The Guardian, 23rd June 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Five members of an organised criminal gang, which falsely claimed more than £53 million in Universal Credit in the largest benefit fraud in England and Wales, have been jailed.’
Crown Prosecution Service, 30th May 2024
Source: www.cps.gov.uk
‘The gang admitted £53.9m of fraudulent claims, and at Wood Green Crown Court on Thursday two of the gang members received what are thought to be the longest sentences ever passed down for benefit fraud.’
BBC News, 30th May 2024
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The government is being investigated by the equalities watchdog over claims that its treatment of disabled benefits claimants may have broken the law.’
BBC News, 22nd May 2024
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The treatment of chronically ill and disabled people by welfare officials, including benefits decisions subsequently linked to the deaths of vulnerable claimants, is to be formally investigated by Britain’s human rights watchdog.’
The Guardian, 22nd May 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is standing by its decision to convict two carers of benefit fraud, despite the cases leading to a public outcry.’
BBC News, 8th May 2024
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The Court of Appeal today handed down an important judgment concerning the availability of damages under section 8 of the Human Rights Act 1998. The case confirms that damages can be awarded where a person is subjected to a system that puts them at an imminent risk of inhuman or degrading treatment without having to prove that the victim did in fact suffer inhuman or degrading treatment contrary to article 3 ECHR. I set out below a summary of what the case decided and some thoughts on its implications.’
Landmark Chambers, 18th April 2024
Source: www.landmarkchambers.co.uk
‘Secretary of State for Work and Pensions v JA (2024) UKUT 52 (AAC) (UTJ Church). This important Upper Tribunal decision holds that universal credit claimants leaving supported or temporary accommodation have been unlawfully losing ‘transitional protection’ due to the discriminatory effect of the Universal Credit (Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2014. It also holds that affected claimants can obtain a remedy through tribunal appeals.’
Nearly Legal, 23rd April 2024
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘In a judgment with potentially wide implications for damages claims for breaches of fundamental human rights, the Court of Appeal in ASY & Others v Home Office [2024] EWCA Civ 373 has held that there is a right to damages for imminent breaches of article 3 of the ECHR (the absolute prohibition on torture and inhuman or degrading treatment).’
3PB, 18th April 2024
Source: www.3pb.co.uk
‘Government officials have been accused of using “threatening and cruel” tactics towards unpaid carers by saying they could face even greater financial penalties if they appeal against “vindictive” benefit fines.’
The Guardian, 17th April 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The Work and Pensions Committee is conducting an inquiry on a highly important matter: how vulnerable welfare claimants are safeguarded by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), and whether changes ought to be made. In the course of this work, it has raised this important question: should the DWP be placed under a statutory duty for safeguarding vulnerable claimants?’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 16th April 2024
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
‘George Henderson was convicted of fraud and had to repay £19,500 in carer’s allowance years after ticking the wrong box on the form. He is not alone. The Guardian society editor, Patrick Butler, looks at why thousands are facing prosecution over innocent mistakes.’
The Guardian, 12th April 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A carer who says he was “dragged through the courts” and had to sell his home to pay back almost £20,000 in benefit overpayments is fighting to clear his name after the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) acknowledged he made an innocent mistake.’
The Guardian, 12th April 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Five members of an organised gang have been convicted of what has been described by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) as the largest case of benefit fraud in England and Wales.’
BBC News, 10th April 2024
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘A woman has told of her shock after the government seized £16,000 left to her by her mother because she was overpaid her carer’s allowance.’
BBC News, 4th April 2024
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Previously in the saga of benefits and pre-settled status (PSS – the status awarded to EU nationals and their family members covered by the Withdrawal Agreement if they have been in the UK less than 5 years), the UK government introduced regulations in 2019 stipulating that PSS awarded under the EU Settlement Scheme was not a sufficient right to reside for EU nationals to pass the habitual residence test when claiming many benefits. These regulations were challenged on the basis that they were discriminatory on the grounds of nationality, and while the Court of Appeal (COA) agreed in Fratila v SSWP [2020] EWCA Civ 1741, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) found in CG that people with PSS were not protected from nationality discrimination (Case C-709/20 CG v The Department for Communities in Northern Ireland EU:C:2021:602).’
Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, 8th March 2024
Source: www.tandfonline.com
‘A coroner has criticised the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) after a woman died from an overdose in the wake of a six-month official investigation that left her with soaring universal credit debts.’
The Guardian, 10th March 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A couple claimed more than £200,000 for care for their disabled son, but kept the money to fund their own “extravagant lifestyle”.’
BBC News, 25th February 2024
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘A woman who lied about having cancer to fraudulently claim more than £22,000 in benefits was a “fraudster” with a “dishonest vein that runs through your body”, a judge has said.’
BBC News, 28th October 2023
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘A man who used a letter from the UK Border Agency to create a false identity and claim £349,000 in benefits has been jailed for fraud.’
BBC News, 25th October 2023
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
© Inner Temple Library 2025