‘They would create a two-tier benefits system where people would not be eligible for support because they became sick or disabled at a later date.’
Next week, Parliament is being asked to make a decision that will define not just this government, but who we are as a society. The Bill introduced to overhaul disability benefits is not a reform – it’s a full-frontal assault on the very people the welfare system was designed to protect.
The front page of the Bill could not be clearer: its purpose is “to restrict eligibility for the Personal Independence Payment”. Let’s not dress it up as anything else. These proposals will inflict harm on the most vulnerable people in our communities – and I cannot, and will not, support them.
That’s why I have joined over 120 Labour MPs in signing the reasoned amendment to the Bill rejecting its core premise, demanding better from government, and standing up for the thousands of our constituents who are terrified about what lies ahead. This amendment sends a clear message: we will not allow these cuts to pass unchallenged.
Two-tier benefits system
While some small so-called concessions have now been offered, they do not go anywhere near far enough. They would create a two-tier benefits system where people with the same disabilities and levels of need would not be eligible for support because they became sick or disabled at a later date.
Disability payments will still be cut, new payments will be hit hard, and consultation on the new proposals is planned for after the bill is due to be voted on. I and many of my colleagues do not believe this is in the interests of our constituents and cannot in true conscience vote for it.
In Liverpool Riverside constituency, over 13,000 people – nearly 14% of our working-
age population – rely on sickness and disability benefits. More than 4,900 PIP claimants could be affected by these proposals. That’s thousands of people already struggling who now face losing up to £4,500 a year.
Nationally, this Bill could impact over 3 million disabled people. It cuts PIP, slashes the Universal Credit health element, freezes it until 2029/30, and targets carers too – with an estimated 150,000 set to lose their allowance.
These are not minor technical changes. These are life-altering cuts that risk pushing hundreds of thousands into deeper poverty. The government’s own assessment says the proposals will push 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, into poverty.
Meanwhile, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has revealed that nearly 8 in 10 low-income families receiving disability benefits have already been going without essentials like food, heating and basic hygiene. This Bill will make a bad situation worse for so many people.
‘This isn’t a plan for jobs’
Ministers claim these cuts will encourage more disabled people into work. But there’s no evidence to support that. In fact, the government admits these reforms will help fewer than 3% of those affected into employment. This isn’t a plan for jobs. It’s a recipe for destitution.
Worse still, these cuts are economically short-sighted. Removing financial support will increase pressure on the NHS, drive up homelessness, push more people into states of crisis – and place even more strain on unpaid carers.
All of this will cost more in the long run. These proposals are not just immoral – they’re fiscally
irresponsible. Let’s not forget that the UN has already condemned previous Tory welfare cuts for
causing “severe economic hardship, increased reliance on food banks, homelessness, negative impacts on mental health, and stigmatisation of benefits claimants”. And yet here we are, with a Labour government pursuing the same failed model of austerity.
Weath tax
I refuse to be part of a political project that punishes disabled people while protecting the wealthy. We’re told time and time again that there’s no money – but where is the ambition for a fairer taxation system? A progressive wealth tax could raise billions. Cracking down on tax avoidance could deliver even more. Instead, the government has chosen to go after the very people least able to fight back.
That’s why I’ve joined colleagues in signing the reasoned amendment to this Bill – not as an act of defiance, but as an act of conscience. It’s not good enough to whisper our concerns behind closed doors. The public – and disabled people in particular – deserve to see where their elected representatives stand.
‘Now is the time to act’
I urge more MPs, from across our party and beyond, to join us in representing our constituents. Many share our concerns; now is the time to act on them. The stakes are too high for silence or hesitation. We need voices that shout clearly: we support welfare not warfare and we will not let this punishing legislation pass.
Our party was built to fight inequality, not to widen it, and to challenge the privileged few who rule over the many. To pursue policies indistinguishable from the cruelty of Tory austerity is not cost-cutting; it is a false economy that will devastate many.
It’s time for a new approach – one rooted in dignity, justice, and genuine support. That means listening to and consulting with disabled people, carers, and the organisations that represent them. It means producing a system that empowers people to live full lives, not one that strips away their independence and security.
This must be a wake-up call. These cuts are not just misguided – they are sadistically cruel. As the people of Liverpool Riverside, and communities across the country, watch closely to see where our values lie, I say clearly: this is not the legacy I came into politics to uphold.
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