Momentum report: “Liz Kendall has confirmed in Parliament that the Government intends to cut £5 billion from benefits for disabled people in the UK. This would be the largest cut in social security for a decade. Remarkably, the Government hasn’t even published impact assessments.

“Charities, trade unions and disability advocacy groups are united in speaking out against these immoral and potentially devastating cuts. The choice for Labour MPs couldn’t be clearer: if these cuts to disability benefits are made, more disabled people in Britain will be pushed into poverty. It’s absolutely vital to write to your MP urging them to oppose the cuts, including by voting against if they’re brought to Parliament.”

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall – who won 4.5% of the vote when she stood for Labour leader in 2015 – announced the cuts yesterday.

“Those unable to work will have their incapacity benefit cut,” Owen Jones points out. “That includes those with the most severe disabilities and illnesses you can possibly think of. Large numbers of disabled and sick citizens will no longer receive Personal Independence Payment (PIP) – a benefit which goes both to those in and out of work in order to, as the name suggests, ensure their independence.

“According to the Resolution Foundation thinktank, between 800,000 and 1.2 million people will lose support of between £4,200 and £6,300 a year by the end of the decade.”

The Women’s Budget Group expressed its “serious concern”, its Director Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson saying: “These cuts will have a devastating impact on some of the poorest and most vulnerable individuals, including Disabled women and carers – who already face significant barriers in accessing support and employment opportunities. Cutting their incomes will only exacerbate these challenges, leaving them without the essential help they need.

“The eligibility restrictions for PIP are especially worrying. As recent analysis by the Child Poverty Action Group shows, 870,000 children are living in families receiving PIP, with a third of them already living in poverty. PIP is also a gateway benefit for unpaid carers (the majority of whom are women) to receive Carer’s Allowance (CA). Therefore, specific eligibility restrictions placed on the daily living component will not only affect Disabled people, but also impact carers’ ability to claim CA.  

“These benefit cuts could disproportionately impact disabled victim-survivors of domestic abuse by making it even more difficult for them to access the benefits necessary to work and be financially independent from the abuser. Disabled victim-survivors are nearly twice as likely to experience economic abuse compared to non-disabled women, and are nearly four times more likely to have a partner or ex-partner stop them, or try to stop them, accessing benefits that they or their children are entitled to.”

Labour National Executive Committee member Jess Barnard attended an NEC and National Policy Forum briefing from Liz Kendall today on the welfare cuts. At the end of an illuminating thread about how the meeting unfolded, she concluded: “I’ll be opposing the welfare cuts, as should you. Punishing disabled people while they sit on waiting lists created by Tory failure is not what the Labour Party should be about.”

Veteran MP Diane Abbott, who raised the issue at Prime Minister’s Questions today, tweeted: “Cutting disability benefits isn’t a moral crusade. It’s a political choice to balance the books on backs of some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in our society.”

Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP tweeted: “My inbox is filling up with emails highlighting the devastating impact of briefed cuts to disability benefits. Cutting support or reducing eligibility won’t push more people into work, it will only push more people into poverty.”

Former Shadow Chancellor John  McDonnell MP tweeted: “The government’s plans to cut £5 billion from the support to disabled people will result in immense suffering and, as we’ve seen in the past, loss of life. I have asked Ministers what monitoring will take place and what level of suffering will force a change of their cuts policy.”

Momentum conclude: “Labour supporters, members, and trade unionists are appalled by these plans, which were not in the Manifesto Labour took to the electorate last year.

“It has been heartening to see MPs from across the Labour Party speaking out against the proposals, including Brian Leishman, Steve Witherden, Richard Burgon, Debbie Abrahams, Sarah Owen, Clive Efford, and Flo Eshalomi.

“But it’s not enough. We need all Labour MPs to come out in opposition to the cuts, making it clear they will vote against if the plans are brought to Parliament.”

Use Momentum’s lobbying tool to write to your MP and explain why they should oppose the welfare cuts.  Take this motion to your CLP to build opposition to them.

War on Want have called a rally with Greenpeace, 350.org, Positive Money and others outside the Treasury, 1 Horse Guards Rd, London SW1A 2HQ on Tuesday March 25^th at 5pm.

Main image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/europealacarte/8449673837. Licence: Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-ND 2.0)