Eighty Labour MP’s are rebelling over the governments planned cuts to Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) disability benefits:
From tomorrow’s Telegraph: 80 Labour MPs already in revolt against the government’s welfare reforms.
This compares to the 37 MPs who called getting disabled people into work a ‘moral duty’, and is larger than the 52 who opposed the cuts to the Winter Fuel Allowance. pic.twitter.com/Kk4I7cpulu
— Ratigan (@RattusMalumus) March 9, 2025
DWP claimants: ‘taking the mickey’
On Friday evening, the DWP leaked to ITV News that it could be cutting around £6bn from disability benefits. This includes Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for chronically ill and disabled people, along with the money they would get under Universal Credit (UC).
As the Canary previously reported, DWP boss Liz Kendall stated that she needs to repair the welfare system. She said that a shift towards getting more individuals into the workforce is essential. The reforms are characterised by Kendall’s false and dangerous belief that many current claimants are not genuinely unable to work, a sentiment she expressed in a recent interview where she stated that some people are ‘taking the mickey’.
If anyone is fucking ‘taking the mickey’, it’s Kendall – with her £158,851 ministerial salary, paid expenses, and subsidised lunches in the House of Commons fine dining room. Additionally, the bankers salary of her partner is around £600,000.
Anyone who’s sick or disabled will tell you they want nothing more than to be well enough to work. So the entire framing of people claiming DWP benefits ‘taking the mickey’ is beyond out of touch. Kendall should count her blessings that she’s never been unable to work. Clearly, she is the one taking the mickey.
Outrage
Meanwhile, the government give disabled people DWP PIP for *checks notes * : the extra costs of living with a disability or health condition. Disabled people have £1,100 in extra expenses to meet the same standard of living as non-disabled folks, with PIP factored in. Freezing it as energy and water bills rise is disgusting. Additionally, making it so more disabled people won’t be able to get it, is even more immoral.
The planned DWP cuts sparked outrage among disabled people and, quite frankly, anyone who gives a shit.
Apparently, some Labour MP’s are standing up to Keir Starmer’s government. This is before Kendall has even announced the details:
I am hearing that 80 Labour MPs are not happy with the cuts to disabled people, and this is BEFORE the FULL details are released. #C4News #itvnews https://t.co/yv5k4uJd46
— Evonne O (@limegreen83) March 9, 2025
There are 404 Labour MP’s and not even one quarter of them are willing to stand up for sick and disabled people – and against these DWP cuts:
That’s it? 80. Only 80 say it’s a bad thing to reduce support for the most sick and vulnerable in our society many of whom already work if they can.
How about the £7BN off the NHS.
In the Telegraph as well, what does that tell you https://t.co/99a3EPO9AG— Up_Again ItWasAScam
(@up_again) March 10, 2025
We need more Labour MPs to realise that it’s their “moral duty” to join this rebellion. https://t.co/B952eRDzUC
— Dr Ciara Fitzpatrick (@C_Fitz_) March 10, 2025
Additionally, none of the 80 are willing to be named – which maybe tells us something about how much they are willing to put on the line for this ‘rebellion’:
Not one of the supposed 80 (according to this D Tel report) Labour MP ‘rebels’ is giving their name in this article – nor will be likely to give any more than token resistance when Reeves goes to slash benefits. https://t.co/tk3SQvvrPM pic.twitter.com/zDUE23xvkf
— Southpawpunch (@Southpawpunch) March 10, 2025
The 52 MPs who ‘stood up’ over the DWP Winter Fuel Allowance cut, didn’t actually. Senior Labour figures gave all but 12 of them permission to miss the vote. So, will these 80 MP’s actually defy the whip? Blood unlikely.
Feature image via
By HG
This post was originally published on Canary.