Earlier this month, Carla Denyer MP, Co-Leader of the Green Party, Claire Young MP on behalf of Liberal Democrat front bench MPs, colleagues and Experts by Experience from Z2K, and representatives from Mind joined us to hand in our petition defending vital disability benefits. After receiving over 11,000 signatures, it was time to show Liz Kendall, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the strength of opposition to proposed reforms.
The previous government announced changes to the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) which would mean over 424,000 seriously ill and disabled people lose out on £416 a month and face the threat of inappropriate sanctions. But figures from the Office for Budget Responsibility show just 3% of people affected are forecast to move into work – with the rest pushed into deep poverty.
We had hoped that the new government’s arrival would mark a change in direction for disability benefit reforms. But the jury is still out on whether Keir Starmer’s mission to tackle the ‘age of insecurity’ extends to seriously ill and disabled people unable to work.
Our open letter, sent just after Liz Kendall was announced as the new Secretary of State (SoS), asked for the cruel plans to tighten the WCA to be scrapped. We were relieved to hear the new SoS reveal that she wouldn’t be pressing ahead immediately with the plans, but her response did confirm that the government is still considering the dangerous proposals.
We’re yet to see the government turn the tide on disability benefit reform. Demonstrating that cuts and sanctions are unpopular with the electorate and will have little effect on tackling economic inactivity will be vital in persuading decision-makers to pivot towards a fairer disability benefits system.
Over 1,800 people wrote to their Prospective Parliamentary Candidates ahead of the General Election and asked them to stand against the cruel WCA reforms. And organisations and coalitions of all sizes, including Mind, the Equality Trust, Law Centres Network, and the Disability Benefits Consortium, encouraged their supporters to take action too.
It was inspiring to see disabled people, supporters of our campaign, leading disability and anti-poverty charities, and deaf and disabled people’s organisations come together at the petition hand in to defend vital benefits for a group that is all-too-often scapegoated. And the presence of high-profile MPs from the Liberal Democrat and Green parties was a welcome boost to the campaign.
Our network of supporters with lived experience of the disability benefit system have played a vital part in shaping our campaign and making sure disabled peoples’ voices are heard. Hearing our Expert by Experience Miracle speak about the urgent need for a fairer, more dignified system at our petition hand-in outside the Department for Work and Pensions was one of the most powerful moments of the campaign so far.
I am excited to see what the next few months bring as we maintain pressure on the government to defend vital benefits for seriously ill and disabled people. We will shortly be calling on supporters to write to their MPs ahead of the Autumn Budget and ask them to make sure the Chancellor doesn’t use the upcoming Autumn Budget as an opportunity to hollow-out social security.
We urgently need a social security system built on compassion and justice. With rising costs and a healthcare system in crisis, having a robust system of support for seriously ill and disabled people has never been more important.
A huge thank you to everyone who has supported the campaign so far, from signing our petition to sharing our actions on social media. Help us grow the campaign further by sharing our actions with your networks and make security, not sanctions, a reality for everyone.
