Green Paper Discussion (from 24th March, 2025)

@Catherine21

The government WANT the cuts going through for PIP in November 2026 but it doesn't necessarily mean it's going to happen.

This Green Paper at the moment is a consultation document with proposals to change the law on PIP and other cuts. As the situation stands, they want to quickly force other Labour MP's, under the three line whip, as it's called to approve these proposals to have it become a White Paper before the end of the current parliamentary session at the end of July.

There is a consultation period until the end of June, which, as you know, we can join in with, including here on Scope.

The MP's will then vote in July. As you are no doubt aware, they will probably be greatly swayed by the fact that they will be penalized by the removal of the whip if they don't toe the party line which means that even if they are against the cuts, the thought of being disciplined will more than likely, force their hand in voting the governments proposals through.

The good thing for us is that the government are trying to rush this through, to the white paper stage, in July without all the consultation they need. They are required to wait for the Office of Budget Responsibility, the OBR to give their own impact assessment, which won't be ready until October. Labour are ignoring this which means that their MP's won't have all the information required to vote on the proposals.

Don't panic though. This will actually work in our favour as Disability Activists /Groups will then be able to act after the White Paper, if it goes through in July, which is very likely.

To explain this properly, I will have to go back to the end of last year when activist Ellen Clifford, through the group Disabled People Against Cuts (I'm a member) won a high court case, having the previous government's disability green paper proposals declared unlawful. That was for a number of things particularly one, they had greatly overexaggerated the number of disabled people who could go back to work.

When the OBR, once they had done their impact assessment discovered that it would only be 3% of us, who would get jobs the Tories claims were completely discredited, so much so that it was one of the major reasons why their proposals were declared unlawful.

This government, as you can see are making mistakes, like the Tories. Being so keen to get this through without the OBR consultation then leaves them open to challenges from such as the DPAC in the high court. As you can see they ruined the chances of the last government with welfare cuts!

I was reading a post on here yesterday about under what circumstances will the high courts take action to stop the government from passing a law like this and to cut a long story short, Labour are breaking every single ones of those rules, believe it or not! These cuts weren't even in their mandate!

I'm sorry this has been so long but it is to show just how much they are leaving themselves completely open to challenge, which the DPAC are already preparing for.

This could also mean similar actions being bought by disability rights groups over such things as whether people such as ourselves who have already lost so much money and live on such a low income can, by law be forced into a strong possibility of destitution and homelessness through absolutely no fault of our own, to whether the fact that we have protected characteristics under equality law allows the government to make such devastating cuts to our income.

I not only wanted to explain how the system works but how, despite the horror and despair we all feel, there is actually very much more hope than you'd think. 👌🤗

I hope that has enlightened you about the situation. It's so complicated, I know! Do ask me to explain anything you don't understand, I find all this information takes a lot of getting into myself. It's even more difficult when you're not well too, isn't it. 🙄

I hope some others may read this post and feel better for doing so too. It just proves that in the most terrible situations there is always hope. 😀

Strange too, how vicious, vindictive people like the right wing section of this government will always try to cheat to try to get what they want through, tripping themselves up in the process because they are so arrogant and entitled, they think that they cannot possibly fail.

Especially as the Tories failed before them and their Green Paper was declared unlawful!! You could make it up could you!🤦

Please don't think that these laws are inevitable will you, there is everything to play for. Because they are the government it DOES NOT make them untouchable or infallible. 😊

Ha! Perhaps they will start getting us all to sort through each others claims... In which case I want you to know I'm giving everyone top rates and two free bmws

From the Benefits and Work site

Labour MP launches petition against Green Paper benefits cuts

 Published: 31 March 2025

A sitting Labour MP – though possibly not for much longer - has launched a petition against his own party’s benefits cuts.

Richard Burgon, Labour MP for Leeds east since 2015 and a shadow minister under Jeremy Corbyn, started the petition four days ago on the change.org platform.  It calls for the Green Paper benefits cuts to be axed and replaced by a wealth tax.  It reads:

This petition, demanding a Wealth Tax instead of devastating cuts to disability support, will be presented in the House of Commons before any votes on welfare cuts.

We oppose the Government’s plan to balance the books by targeting disabled people and the most disadvantaged in our society.

Slashing disability benefits instead of taxing extreme wealth is a political choice—and it is the wrong choice.

Instead, we believe that the very wealthiest should be made to pay their fair share.

A 2% Wealth Tax on assets over £10 million could raise up to £24 billion per year. That’s far more than the £5 billion the Government claims it will “save” by cutting key financial support for disabled people.

We call on the Government to abandon these cruel cuts and, instead of punishing the poorest, to implement a Wealth tax on the very wealthiest.

By this morning it had gathered 18,000 signatures.

You can sign Richard Burgon’s petition against benefits cuts here

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https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/labour-mp-launches-petition-against-green-paper-benefits-cuts