DWP urged to end 'shocking' tradition which dates back to 1970s

The Department for Work and Pensions has been urged to change a "shocking" tradition which dates back to the 1970s. The DWP is being called upon by people who claim benefits to uprate its annual and traditional Christmas bonus, which is worth £10.

A Christmas bonus of £10 is paid to the recipients of long-term benefit in the United Kingdom. This was established by the Pensioners and Family Income Supplement Payments Act 1972 as a one-off payment which was repeated by the Heath government in 1973 and 1974.

It was then repeated by the Labour Government in 1977 and 1978. The subsequent Pensioners' Payments and Social Security Act of 1979 established it permanently, although the amount has never been uprated, causing fury among petitioners.

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The petition, launched by Shona McMahon in 2023, reads: “Christmas is the most expensive time of year! Pensioners, the vulnerable & people like myself, disabled, could do with an extra boost at this time of year, especially as the energy assistance has been axed.

“It was shocking to learn that the ‘£10 Christmas Bonus’, has been the same for OVER FIVE DECADES!!” Ms McMahon continued: “This isn’t asking for ‘just another handout’, this is for those of us that don’t have an option to earn anything extra.

“I implore you to sign & share this, if only because the government wouldn’t like their bonus to be stagnant for 51 years! Then we respectfully ask that our Christmas bonus be raised in line with inflation please, or more.”

In an update for 2024, she said: "The renewed interest in the petition this week has been astounding! I had wanted to promote this before the election to highlight it, was even meant to go down to The Sun debate but I’m afraid to say I had a bereavement.

"Now, let’s get this petition to where it ought to be!"