The Department

‘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 MP

In 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.