Green Paper Discussion - includes accessible formats and consultation event sign up links!
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I have complained to my MP that no consideration given to the announcement that has caused all this worry and stress for everyone.
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@Catherine21
(My views) While the Green Party supports the social model of disability and opposes benefit cuts, this ruthless Labour government raises real fears-will any party truly hold the line, or U-turn like the rest? Honestly, I’m hurting and losing faith in politicians.Just heard from Scope that my local MPs didn’t attend the recent parliamentary event-despite my personal emails urging them to back the campaign against benefit cuts. It’s disheartening.
Right now, resisting these devastating cuts is my focus (as I’ve shared before). We must keep up the momentum. There’s so much power in our voices.
In solidarity ✊
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Thanks, @keira
Great call . I’m really glad to see Benefits and Work have started analysing the vital SMI data from the 550 survey respondents to their “No to 4-point PIP descriptors” campaign.
It’s encouraging that they’ve published both the Survey analysis and some powerful, real-life testimonials from people with SMI who took part in that survey . These are so important for us to include when communicating with our Local MPs.
I hadn’t come across that link before, and I found it really eye-opening-especially reading about my own MP, who sadly seems firmly tied to some of Labour’s flawed policy positions. As the link suggests, I also believe that contacting our local MPs directly via their official Parliament email is more impactful and personal than using the generic contact forms provided by organisations. It’s more likely to get their attention.
Still, it’s vital that we keep the pressure up from all directions to ensure disabled and vulnerable voices are truly heard.Every action counts.
Thank you again!
In Solidarity ✊
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(Joseph Rowntree Foundation)
Fourth largest single cut since 2010, largest to disability benefits ever assessed by OBR
The OBR’s Policy Measures database also looks at individual policies. A £5 billion saving from PIP would be the fourth greatest single working-age social security reducing policy since 2010, only exceeded by changes to overall benefit rates, which changed the way many different types of benefits were increased, or stopped those increases. This would be the biggest reduction affecting only a smaller group of recipients of a specific benefit, in this case disabled people, meaning the loss per person affected would be greater than these earlier policies. The chart below shows the 12 individual policies that save more than £1.5 billion at the end of the forecast window (in 2025/26 prices). Our analysis shows that the proposed (and subsequently reversed) PIP changes Iain Duncan Smith resigned over in 2016 were a third the size of the rumoured current PIP cuts.
IDS apparently resigned over PIP cuts in 2016.
That meant he evaded scrutiny of the brutal cuts he had already prepared for disabled claimants in his 'amended' ESA 2011 regulations and his 2012 Welfare Reform Act to be introduced under the 2016 Welfare Reform and Work Act.
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And, having got away with his sneaky, rotten 'amended' ESA regs in 2011, he wants to finish the job of aligning all working-age benefits.
I believe that the only way of stopping this is to understand exactly how he distorted the ESA qualifying criteria in 2011!!!
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It's funny once you consider They only see demographics as voting blocs, and fail to consider the possibility that people outside of those groups give a **** about others. It's not just disabled people who are upset. It's the general public who are. Even people who fully believe the benefit scrounger myths believe these cuts are a step too far.
It's a repeat of the "Muslim voting bloc" situation with the Gaza genocide during the last election all over again.
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I vote them in a hope and a dream they mean what they say I bet they don't but definitely not reform
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100 percent how do you find out if your mp attended ? Someone posted on here sorry can't remember who a article from work benefits stories of people's struggles since this horrendous proposals I really believe mps are plotting behind starmers back can you imagine he tries to silent us imagine the total disregard he has for his own mps I believe there's alot really going on in the background it's weird they come out make big statements and go on missing list it's like he's doing things week by week do you really think deep down they will get everything they want I truly believe they won't everytime they bash benefit system people are hearing of people who cannot feed themselves and it's not going down well
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And your right can't trust any of them seems they want the title to get as rich as possible
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The problem with clinging onto a past policy that was harmful but long since over is that we might accidentally miss a current policy that is even more harmful.
I'm a floating voter but it always scares me when I see disabled support shift across to Reform, who want to get rid of all the equality safeguards through the ECHR and actually said prior to the previous election that they wanted rid of most welfare benefits and to privatise the NHS.
I didn't vote for Labour, but even with all of this mess I would rather have them in power. At least some of them are fighting for us, even against the party. Meanwhile Reform…How many Reform members have we heard speaking out against this? Or Tories?
…At least the current Libs, Greens, etc are speaking out. We can only judge on now, not what happened more than ten years ago.3 -
In my view:
Politics has always been a complex and shifting space. Once any party gains power, their stance often changes with the political wind.
No matter how good a manifesto sounds, it ultimately comes down to leadership. Sadly, the current leadership(Starmer,Kendall ,Reeves,Tmms)within the Labour Party has shown appalling attitudes toward disabled people. Their language and policies speak volumes and seem to be shaping the wider party culture.
I’ll admit, I was never deeply curious about politics before- until now. But the direction this is heading, if allowed to go through, could lead to real and significant harm. Lives are at stake -including children and expectant mothers. That thought alone is heartbreaking.
And the idea of people like Nigel Farage gaining more influence in next term? That’s even more terrifying
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Your right they have literally have effected everyone's life's
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Same I never watched politics never until I caught sunak sicknote Britain and that was it rollercoaster when I watched them arguing scoring points I was appalled Luke kids in a playground like sickening I know I see everywhere vote reform brainwashed I think since covid they don't hide how they feel seeing they could control the masses
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Utterly convinced now Labour will be out after the next election unless something huge happens (they force Starmer to stand down) we are in this mess because he decided on a paragraph of promises when there was no need. Its just warped he wont budge on those but when standing for leader he even promised to axe UC,
but disabled people will always be seen as the easy targets and will keep being the group of choice when a new Govt wants to save some money and to hell with the cost on us.
My sister goes shopping for me on a Monday and I have 100% the same things for years
again its gone up. 5 years ago these items came in around 25 pounds its now 48 pounds.
things are going worst for me and i know why its all this worry from this, a week ago I was choking on vomit, I couldn't call anyone so just smacked my hand on the table and my sister heard it. they are utterly clueless but more worrying they do not care
I never did hear back from the MP, Nia Griffith so for all the talk from her agent.
Reform are so close to taking this seat and they just cant see its the total inaction the total silence, this is not the Labour party under Starmer and if any Ministers/MP's still care
they need to act after May because the elections that will take place will be a wakeup call
local council seats are happening on a weekly basis the latest one was in David Lammys area and the Greens won by 51% these are only small results but this is a staunch labour area.
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Labour will be voted out in the next general election.
Not one single thing they have done since being in power has been supported by the general public.
They have caused so much outrage and disgust but they are delusional narcissists who refuse to listen or take any responsibility for inflicting so much pain and misery on the UK.
We are absolutely doomed as long as they remain in power because so far they have refused to back down on anything and they just don't seem to care about their increasing unpopularity and falling rates in opinion polls.
I really do despair.
I try not to think about what will happen with these proposed benefit reforms but its on my mind night and day.
My nerves are shot to pieces.
My hands shake so much, I can barely hold a drink and I have lost my appetite because of the constant worry but hey here I am listening to a bit of 70's music and looking forward to seeing a live band on Easter Sunday.
Hopefully I will get out for a little stroll tomorrow to enjoy the beautiful sea views.
I stayed in today as it was so cold, heavy rain and wind.
Take care everyone.
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AR "The problem with clinging onto a past policy that was harmful but long since over is that we might accidentally miss a current policy that is even more harmful."
The whole point of me "going on" about this is that it's far from over nor is it in the past!
OMG this is so hard. None of these proposals or changes affect me because I've already been scr*wed over so why would I make anything up?? I'm certainly not doing this for fun.
I also didn't vote for Labour as it's a safe seat and because my MP lied to me years ago about the ESA regulations. I really don't understand how people think this crisis began last May. Baffling!
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IDS deceived Parliament (and us) and dozens of sitting MP's on all sides of the House know how he did it. He thinks he got away with it.
Starmer's resignation would not change a thing so it's a huge mistake to waste precious time blaming him instead of those Cabinet Ministers responsible for this treachery!
It's also a mistake to believe that Debbie Abrahams cares any more about disabled people than her predecessor did as Chair of the W&P Select Committee.
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That reform proposal on paper looks incredibly mild compared to both the Tories and Labour.
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You're completely wrong to claim the 2011 ESA changes were not challenged or that the DWP got away with it. The truth is, those changes were fought and they were found unlawful. Not just once, but through multiple legal battles over several years.
In 2013, the Court of Appeal ruled in R (MM & DM) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions [2013] EWCA Civ 1565 that the DWP’s Work Capability Assessment discriminated against people with mental health conditions. Judges found it broke the Equality Act 2010 by failing to make reasonable adjustments, such as relying on medical evidence rather than expecting vulnerable claimants to self-report. The court also condemned the DWP for only counting "good days" while ignoring how serious fluctuating conditions actually are.
The DWP did not fix it. In fact, they ignored it. That led to another major defeat in 2019, when the Supreme Court, in Secretary of State for Work and Pensions v MM (Scotland) [2019] UKSC 34, ruled that the DWP was still applying an unlawful, narrow and technical approach in assessments. The discrimination continued despite earlier court findings.
Then came Connor v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions [2020] EWHC 1999 (Admin). The High Court ruled that the DWP’s mandatory reconsideration policy, used to delay benefit payments during appeals, was a breach of disabled claimants’ rights under Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights. That is three separate courts, over seven years, all confirming that the DWP’s approach was unlawful.
This proves beyond doubt that the system was not just challenged but exposed, repeatedly, as discriminatory and unjust. The issue now is not whether the 2011 ESA reforms were understood, but that the DWP chose to ignore the law. They have since copied those same illegal tactics into PIP, including the upcoming 4-point rule set for November 2026, which is projected to cut thousands of disabled people off support.
So no, we are not wasting time by fighting what is happening now. The real mistake would be pretending we need to go back and re-litigate 2011. We already fought that fight and won. The law is on our side. The DWP simply refuses to follow it.
This is not about Starmer, Abrahams, or individual MPs. It is about holding a department accountable for repeatedly breaking the law and hoping no one notices. What is needed now is public pressure to enforce the rulings already handed down, not to rewrite history.
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