‘A must-read exposé of one of Britain’s biggest hidden scandals’ Frances Ryan, Guardian journalist and author of Crippled: Austerity and the Demonisation of Disabled People‘This is the definitive proof of how government austerity hasn’t just harmed disabled people, it has killed them’ John McDonnell MPIn the early 2010s, reports began to emerge of deaths linked to a government department. Suicide notes, coroners’ reports, and research by disabled activists pointed to failings within the Department for Work and Pensions – the DWP – the government body responsible for the disability benefits system.As years passed, and austerity tightened its grip, the death toll mounted, and an even more disturbing picture emerged: bureaucracy, politicians, and the private sector had combined over thirty years to reckless, deadly effect.For the last decade, disabled journalist John Pring has meticulously pieced together how the DWP ignored pleas to correct fatal flaws in the social security system and covered up its role in the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, of disabled people. Having spent years researching the heartbreaking stories of twelve individuals who died, he describes how their bereaved families have fought for justice and accountability.John Pring is founder and editor of the news agency Disability News Service. He is co-creator of the Deaths by Welfare timeline, and co-editor and specialist advisor on the award-winning Museum of Austerity project. His stories have appeared in the Guardian, Daily Mirror and Private Eye. He is also the author of Longcare Survivors: The Biography of a Care Scandal.Preface: The death of Philippa DayPart I: 1989-1997: Peter Lilley, incapacity benefits and how ill-health became a luxury1. The first memo2. A promising area for cuts, and the first steps to violence3. ‘Ignorant’ ministers, the insurance industry, and Lilley’s little list4. Scapegoats, the all work test, and how ill-health became a luxury5. Periodic purges, Unum and selective use of evidence6. The death of David Holmes, and the causal linkPart II: 1997-2010: DWP, New Labour and the ‘reckless’ work capability assessment7. Labour’s change of tone, Atos, and a failed rebellion8. The Woodstock conference, ‘malingering’ and an outlaw company9. A groundswell of unease10. The death of Stephen CarréPart III: 2010-2014: The coalition, austerity, and deaths by welfare11. Atos, activism, and the climate of panic12. The death of David Clapson13. The death of Mark Wood14. The death of David Barr15. The death of Ms DE16. DWP, peer reviews, and weaponising time17. The death of Faiza AhmedPart IV: 2014-2022: Cover-up, investigations, and the truth about DWP18. Michael O’Sullivan, and the prevention of future deaths19. Iain Duncan Smith, the UN and 590 suicides20. The death of Jodey Whiting21. The death of James Oliver22. Philippa Day’s inquest and the 28 ‘problems’23. The death of Errol Graham24. The death of Roy CurtisEpilogue
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