By DPAC

On 19th February 2024 at the Parliament meeting in London, Disabled People Against the Cuts  and the UK Coalition announced a united disability resistance against the Tory Government’s proposed brutal and horrific social security reforms. We are calling for active resistance across the UK to these brutal attacks on disabled people.

We are gravely concerned that the government plans to intensify conditions and benefit sanctions imposed on claimants and tighten the Work Capability Assessment (WCA). This would see social security cuts for hundreds of thousands of disabled people and new powers for unqualified work coaches in Job Centres who will decide what work-related activity should be carried out.

We have already seen the devastation caused by previous so-called welfare reform policies. They have failed on their own terms – the Office for Budget Responsibility confirmed more than once that they were an economic disaster.

We now also have a large body of evidence laying bare the human catastrophe these policies caused; including the 2020 report ‘Health Equity in England‘, commissioned by University College London, which states that almost 150, 000 people (the vast majority from deprived areas) died as a direct result of austerity and welfare reform policies.

Kicking the poor – particularly those in receipt of benefits – is still somehow viewed by party policy wonks on both sides as a vote winner, while the richest in our society have seen their wealth grow by more than 20% just since the pandemic.

It is important to stress that we cannot wait for a general election and a potential change of government. Labour have rejoined the attacks on claimants, saying recently that disabled people will not “languish on social security sickness support but will be pushed into work.” This is the language of Atos & Workfare all over again.

It didn’t work then, it won’t work now.

That is why we are calling for a local day of action on Monday 4th March, two days before the spring budget, which we hope local DPAC groups and our UK coalition allies across the devolved nations will organise and participate in alongside the main London action.

The London protest will meet at 12 noon at the Department of Work & Pensions, Caxton House, 6–12 Tothill Street, London SW1H 9NA.

hashtag #NoMoreBenefitDeaths

We have a long and proud history in the fight against oppression and  social injustice against disabled people. Contact us at mail@dpac.uk.net for more information.