Croydon (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Forty Labour MPs have signed a letter opposing disability benefit cuts, but Croydon’s Reed, Jones and Irons have drawn attention for not backing the move.
As reported by Inside Croydon, a letter opposing proposed cutbacks to disability benefits, signed by dozens of Labour Party MPs from both the right and the left, claims that “cuts don’t create jobs, they just cause more hardship.”
As Prime Minister Keir Starmer appears to be dealing with the largest backbench mutiny of his government to date, Croydon’s three Labour MPs today once again rejected a chance to put the needs of their residents ahead of their own parliamentary ambitions.
A letter signed by over 40 Labour MPs cautions Starmer that the proposed reductions to disability benefits are “impossible to support.” Prior to a Commons vote that is scheduled for next month, the letter demanded a pause and a shift in course.
The Grauniad claims that MPs from the July 2024 intake, Commons veterans, and members “from the left and right of the party” signed the letter. However, the list of signatories does not include any Croydon MPs.
“There has already been widespread concern among a number of Labour MPs about proposed changes including a significant tightening of eligibility for personal independence payments (PIPs), saving about £5 billion annually,”
the newspaper reports.
“It would also involve cuts or freezes to incapacity benefits for people who apply for universal credit but are judged unfit to work.”
Bell Ribeiro-Addy, MP for Clapham and Brixton Hill, Peter Lamb, a former employee of The Campaign Company in Croydon, who is currently MP for Crawley, Diane Abbott, John McDonnell, Clive Lewis, Stella Creasy, Barry Gardiner, Ian Lavery, Rebecca Long-Bailey, and Rachael Maskell are among the people who signed the letter.
Notably missing are the names of industry minister Sarah Jones (Croydon West), environment secretary Steve Reed OBE, MP for Streatham and Croydon North, and Natasha Irons (Croydon East).
Shortly after the General Election last year, Downing Street removed seven Members of Parliament from the Labour whip for supporting an amendment from the Scottish National Party that eliminated the two-child benefit cap.
A week after Labour’s dismal showing in the English local elections, this latest backbench mutiny could be an even greater test of Starmer’s leadership.
The MPs’ letter says:
“The Government’s Green Paper on welfare reform has caused a huge amount of anxiety and concern among disabled people and their families. The planned cuts of more than £7 billion represent the biggest attack on the welfare state since George Osborne ushered in the years of austerity and over 3 million of our poorest and most disadvantaged will be affected.
Whilst the government may have correctly diagnosed the problem of a broken benefits system and a lack of job opportunities for those who are able to work, they have come up with the wrong medicine. Cuts don’t create jobs, they just cause more hardship.”
It added that Ministers therefore need to delay any decisions until all the assessments have been published into the impact the cuts will have on employment, health and increased demand for health and social care.
This is likely to be in the autumn and only then will MPs be able to vote knowing all the facts.
In the meantime, the much-needed reform of the benefits system needs to begin with a genuine dialogue with disabled people’s organisations to redesign something that is less complex and offers greater support, alongside tackling the barriers that disabled people face when trying to find and maintain employment.
They also need to invest in creating job opportunities and ensure the law is robust enough to provide employment protections against discrimination.
Without a change in direction, the Green Paper will be impossible to support.
What are the main arguments against the disability benefit cuts in Croydon?
Hundreds of thousands of handicapped people and their families would fall into even greater hardship if Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and other disability benefits were cut. With 290,000 currently living in poverty, 870,000 children reside in families receiving PIP; many homes stand to lose an average of around £1,400 a year, exacerbating child poverty and financial instability.
It is anticipated that those with overlapping disadvantages, elderly women from religious minorities, LGBTQI+ individuals, and minority communities will suffer disproportionately, escalating already-existing prejudice and structural inequities.
Disability payments pay for necessary additional expenses for living expenses, care, mobility, and equipment. Reducing these services puts disabled persons at risk for severe physical and mental injury, greater isolation, and deteriorating health disparities.
Cuts, according to critics, concentrate on lowering benefits rather than addressing problems like workplaces.