Promises were made to fix the problem over a decade yet nothing changed – meanwhile carers continue to suffer

• More than 250 UK unpaid carers risk prosecution over benefit overpayments

Although the carer’s allowance scandal caught the public attention in 2024, it has bubbled away under the radar for years, during which the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has variously denied there was a problem, then promised to fix the problem, then ignored it again, then once again promised to fix it.

Hundreds of thousands of unpaid carers suffered – and continue to suffer – unnecessarily as a result and hundreds of millions of pounds taxpayers’ money has been wasted.