The bereaved families of five benefits claimants are calling for a public inquiry into deaths and serious harm linked to the welfare system.
Relatives of Errol Graham, Jodey Whiting, Philippa Day, Kevin Dooley, and Clive Johnson are calling for the Government to launch an inquiry and establish an independent body to investigate future cases.
They have written to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) saying the benefits system is harming those who most need its support and they “refuse to stand by and watch the same thing happen to other families”.
They say their loved ones died following “catastrophic failings” in the welfare system, and it is shocking that the DWP has not yet launched a public inquiry.
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BBC News
By Alex Homer
image copyrightFamily handout
image captionPhilippa Day (pictured left with her sister Imogen) took a fatal overdose and died in October 2019
The family of a woman who took a fatal overdose after her benefit payments were cut say they have begun a legal claim against the government.
Philippa Day, 27, was found collapsed at her Nottingham home beside a letter rejecting her request for an at-home benefits assessment in August 2019.
It comes amid calls for a wider inquiry into the Department for Work & Pensions handling of cases.
The DWP said: When, sadly, there is a tragic case we take it very seriously.