“Every single disability organisation is against this brutal bill.”
We publish below – with thanks to her – the script that Rebecca Long Bailey MP’s speech in Parliament against disability benefit cuts was based upon.
We all know the famous quote “The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members”
It is a litmus test for the morality and integrity of our country’s values. So what will the passing of this bill say about our society’s values?
The United Nations has already twice reported on the conditions for disabled people in the UK, finding that there were ‘grave and systematic’ violations of human rights.
Sadly the Bill as it stands will worsen this situation – despite concessions – still imposing brutal cuts, pushing hundreds of thousands of sick and disabled people into poverty.
On the new 4-point rule for PIP – even excluding existing claimants – this will affect 430,000 people by 2030, by an average of £4,500 a year.
On the 50% cut to the Universal Credit health element for nine in ten new recipients. This will affect 700,000 people, cutting their support by an average of £3,000 a year.
Existing claimants living in fear that if their situation changes and they are reassessed they could lose everything under the new system.
Disabled children now looking to the future with trepidation knowing that when their time comes to apply for the support that will help them live full and fruitful lives it may not be there.
Now I truly welcome the proposals to support those who could work with a little help, but according to the learning and work institute the numbers it will help are nominal, between 1 and 3 % , a finding echoed by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) who conclude we might expect increases in employment only in the tens of thousands.
And the concessions made over the weekend —whilst welcome—will ultimately create a two-tier system. The amount of support someone receives will now depend on when they made their claim. And that’s simply not fair, especially as those who need help, find themselves needing this support through no fault of their own.
It is clear that our punitive and broken welfare system needs reform, yes, it drives disabled people into poverty, but a proper consultation should have taken place with those most directly affected to build a system that truly nurtures. It didn’t.
The Government should have published assessments on the impact of these updated proposals on future claimants, those undergoing reassessments and carers. They haven’t.
The Government should have assessed the knock-on impact on Local Authorities, the NHS and the charity sector and the scope for non-payment of household debts as people pushed into poverty desperately seek help elsewhere. They haven’t.
So we are being asked to rush a bill through without consultation nor knowing the full picture. And that can not be right.
And if this is about cost, whilst, I recognise the financial challenges facing the Government—challenges that are the direct result of 14 years of mismanagement and underinvestment by the previous Government, the sad thing is there are alternatives.
One of these, which I’ve long championed, is to introduce higher taxes on extreme wealth in order to properly fund our public services and strengthen the safety net. And this isn’t just the view of ordinary working people—many millionaires themselves agree. A recent Survation poll found that 68% of people with over £1 million to invest, support a wealth tax on individuals with more than £10 million.
Every single disability organisation is against this brutal bill.
And if we ignore them – If we say its ok to treat one group pf people as lesser than an other. If we say that its ok to neglect the vulnerable, undermine their rights, dignity and push them into poverty – then honestly what will that say about the true measure of our society?
So I say again “The true measure of any society is found in how it treats its most vulnerable members”
So pull back from the brink now before it is too late and withdraw this bill.
- Rebecca Long-Bailey is the MP for Salford and Eccles and a regular contributor for Labour Outlook. You can follow her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter/X.
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