Two million people claiming legacy benefits have been given fresh hope that they would win backdated payments worth around £1,500. Four claimants have won permission to appeal a test case against the Department of Work and Pensions which they lost earlier this year.
The legal row centres around whether it was fair to exclude old-style legacy benefits from extra support to other claimants during the pandemic. Those who claim Universal Credit were given a £20-a-week boost to their payments for 18 months - but the same rate increase was not passed on to those on older benefits. Nearly two million struggling households still on the legacy benefits system were excluded from getting this help, including those claiming such benefits as personal independence payments (PIP) or employment support allowance (ESA).
The claimants argued in court that the treatment was unfair and that they should get back payments to compensate them for extra help they did not receive during the Covid crisis - but they lost the case in February.
