‘Simply cruelty’: How charities and campaigners reacted to the federal government’s newest assaults on incapacity advantages

The federal government’s newest assaults on incapacity welfare has precipitated additional outrage and concern from campaigners, charities and MPs because the Tories announce additional merciless plans to chop disabled individuals’s advantages. 

It comes as earlier this month Rishi Sunak announced a heartless clamp down on disability welfare with the intention to toughen the eligibility standards for Private Independence Cost (PIP), plans described by incapacity charities as ‘an assault on disabled individuals’. 

Extra proposed adjustments are being introduced forward of the publication of a “inexperienced paper” session, because the Work and Pensions Minister Mel Stride gave additional particulars this morning on simply how merciless the Tories deliberate welfare reforms are. 

Chatting with the media, Stride mentioned that individuals with despair or nervousness may lose entry to illness advantages beneath the brand new reforms, whereas the Telegraph reported it may additionally see disabled individuals stripped of a month-to-month money fee and offered vouchers as a substitute. 

Rishi Sunak mentioned he needs to get extra individuals into work and scale back the federal government’s welfare invoice, with Stride referring to it as a “sustainability challenge”. However plans to tighten the eligibility standards for Private Independence Cost (PIP) have been blasted by charities, campaigners and MPs and the federal government has been closely criticised for utilizing dangerous rhetoric in direction of disabled individuals. 

The organisation Incapacity Rights UK mentioned the federal government’s narrative that disabled persons are a burden on the advantages system is “completely unfaithful” because the group reacted to the most recent plans.

“At this time, the Authorities have but once more gone on the assault by singling out Disabled individuals as a burden on the advantages system,” Incapacity Rights UK reacted. “Completely unfaithful, however we proceed to be the whipping group for ALL authorities financial failure. Sufficient. That is simply cruelty.”

Govt Director on the incapacity equality charity Scope, James Taylor, mentioned at present that it was arduous to have religion that the session was “about something aside from reducing the advantages invoice, irrespective of the affect.”

“Life prices much more for disabled individuals, together with individuals with psychological well being circumstances. Threatening to remove the low quantity of earnings PIP offers received’t resolve the nation’s issues,” Taylor mentioned.

He hit again on the Prime Minister’s claims that ‘psychological well being tradition’ had gone too far and blasted the federal government’s file on crumbling public providers, poor high quality jobs and elevated charges of poverty.

“The federal government wants to finish this reckless assault on disabled individuals and deal with find out how to repair the true underlying points,” mentioned Taylor. 

Activist and journalist Rachel Charlton-Dailey mentioned on X: “The entire level of advantages is to assist disabled individuals stay. Vouchers would restrict the place we spend our money and “claiming again” would put us into even additional debt. The tories need us useless.”

One incapacity campaigner wrote at present on X: “Be good at present to do something with out bursting into tears on the sheer merciless, vindictive & sadistic unfairness of all of it. What do I say to my disabled daughter about her future? What do I say? How do I inform her the longer term beneath this authorities is one they don’t need her in?”

Social change group Joseph Rowntree Basis highlighted the hyperlink between incapacity and poverty, and warned towards enjoying “political soccer” with individuals’s lives. 

“Virtually two thirds of individuals in destitution have a persistent well being situation or incapacity. Individuals on this place shouldn’t be used as a political soccer. We’d like motion, not rhetoric from politicians”, the non-profit wrote. 

“PIP is a profit to assist individuals with the extra prices of getting a long-term bodily or psychological well being situation or incapacity. This profit is an enormous share of many claimants’ earnings.

“Chopping it can result in a big hit to future claimants’ residing requirements.”

In households the place a person receives PIP and no-one is in work, seven in ten working-age adults are in materials deprivation, that is 3 times the speed throughout all working-age households. In these households 40% skilled meals insecurity and over 30% had been unable to maintain their houses heat. 

Labour’s Shadow Minister for Disabled Individuals Vicky Foxcroft accused the federal government of scapegoating disabled individuals and people with long-term well being circumstances for the issues they’ve created. 

“PIP was created by the Tories however isn’t working for disabled individuals (or the taxpayer).DWPgovuk too typically fails to get selections proper first time, resulting in prolonged delays, reassessments and a nerve-racking appeals course of.”

Labour MP Marsha de Codova mentioned it was “despicable” that the Tories are “but once more scapegoating disabled individuals”, “planning merciless cuts” with a view to “distract consideration from their mess”.

Medical doctors have additionally hit again on the authorities’s proposals to chop PIP and penalise these with psychological well being circumstances.

Guide Dr Jay Watts commented: “Expensive Mel Stride,

“PIP has nothing to do with employment. PIP is for reasonable to extreme incapacity and is v tough to qualify for. Noone will get PIP ‘for’ despair or nervousness. It’s based mostly on a practical evaluation. Cease enjoying smoke and mirrors with individuals’s lives.”

A palliative care physician wrote on X: “Mel Stride isn’t any physician, and neither is Rishi Sunak. They do not know how crippling extreme despair or nervousness could be. They’re merely smearing the weak for affordable, populist, electoral acquire. It’s vicious, unforgivable stuff.”

While psychological well being charities additionally highlighted the massive ready lists even to entry psychological well being assist and the necessity to deal with investing within the chronically underfunded sector.

Psychological well being charity Thoughts mentioned: “Individuals don’t select to be on incapacity advantages. It’s their final resort.

“Cease blaming individuals with psychological well being issues. If the Secretary of State needs a grown-up dialog about this, then he ought to meet with us. We’ve despatched an invitation.”

A bunch of charities have backed a petition launched by Scope in response to the welfare cuts which calls for that the federal government; cease demonising those that can’t work, assist individuals who need to work and advocate for a advantages system that’s form. 

(Picture credit score: UK Authorities)

Hannah Davenport is information reporter at Left Foot Ahead

The submit ‘Just cruelty’: How charities and campaigners reacted to the government’s latest attacks on disability benefits appeared first on Left Foot Forward: Leading the UK's progressive debate.