Get your MP to act against cuts

Great values to have @Grumpy1314 👏Have a great day!

(Lifted from DPAC)

List of Labour MPs who have supported the cuts.

Cabinet:

Prime Minister Keir Starmer (Kid Starver)

Chancellor Rachel Reeves (Robber Reeves)

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Killer Kendall)

Publicly defended the cuts:

Torsten Bell, Darren Jones, Pat McFadden

Get Britain Working Group

Dabid Pinto-Duschinsky, Luke Akehurst, Bayo Alaba, Jas Athwal, Danny Beales, Rachel Blake, Nesil Caliskan, Luke Charters, Shaun Davies, Jim Dickson, Helena Dollimore, Graeme Downie, Damien Egan, Allison Gardner, Amanda Hack, Gurinder Singh Josan, Andy MacNae, Blair McDougal, Frank McNally, Samatha Niblett, Jon Pearce, Gregor Poynton, Connor Rand, Steve Race, Joani Reid, Mike Reader, Jake Richards, Tom Rutland, Mark Sewards, Sarah Smith, Mike Tapp, Fred Thomas, Dan Tomlinson, Jo White, Shaun Woodcock, Steve Yemm.

Labour MPs who have said they will rebel against the government

• Diane Abbott, Hackney North and Stoke Newington
• Lee Barron, Corby and East Northamptonshire
• Lorraine Beavers, Blackpool North and Fleetwood
• Richard Burgon, Leeds East
• Ian Byrne, Liverpool West Derby
• Neil Duncan-Jordan, Poole
• Cat Eccles, Stourbridge
• Chris Hinchliff, North East Hertfordshire
• Alison Hume, Scarborough and Whitby
• Imran Hussain, Bradford East
• Kim Johnson, Liverpool Riverside
• Mary Kelly Foy, City of Durham
• Ian Lavery, Blyth and Ashington
• Brian Leishman, Alloa and Grangemouth
• Emma Lewell-Buck, South Shields
• Clive Lewis, Norwich South
• Rachael Maskell, York Central
• Andy McDonald, Middlesbrough and Thornaby East
• Navendu Mishra, Stockport
• Grahame Morris, Easington
• Connor Naismith, Crewe and Nantwich
• Simon Opher, Stroud
• Andrew Ranger, Wrexham
• Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Clapham and Brixton Hill
• Jon Trickett, Normanton and Hemsworth
• Chris Webb, Blackpool South
• Nadia Whittome, Nottingham East

Labour MPs who have expressed opposition to welfare reforms

• Dan Aldridge, Weston-super-Mare
• Paula Barker, Liverpool Wavertree
• Stella Creasy, Walthamstow
• Marsha de Cordova, Battersea
• Paul Foster, South Ribble
• Barry Gardiner, Brent West
• Mark Hendrick, Preston
• Peter Lamb, Crawley
• Rebecca Long-Bailey, Salford
• Kate Osamor, Edmonton and Winchmore Hill
• Kate Osborne, Jarrow and Gateshead East
• Polly Billington, East Thanet
• Alex Sobel, Leeds Central and Headingley
• Yasmin Quershi, Bolton South West
• Steve Witherden, Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr

Hi @noonebelieves I do hope that you are feeling better than you did. 🤞😊

I was moved by what you said about the 86 year old gent who was in A&E with you, how you described his quiet but upbeat courage and determination. 👌

Most people of that age, in that situation, would be really upset by what had happened to them. He dealt with what had happened to him so well, that he really deserves to get back into his garden as soon as possible but you can't say at his age, sadly. I do hope he does. 🙏

Someone like that does put your own problems into perspective. I one of my non epileptic seizures in the kitchen yesterday, a worse one than usual as I tend to go into them quite slowly. I am almost or completely unable to move while this happens.

I am aware of what is going on throughout fortunately so was able (just) to put my hand out to the floor to break my fall. It was worrying though but I was OK. I just needed to take it very easy for the rest of the day. 🛏️ I have a bed downstairs too so didn't have far to go. 👍

My smartphone recorded a hard fall and my partner, who had only gone upstairs quickly to get something soon came down at the sound of the siren going off in it. ⌚

Normally, I can just move enough to be able to phone him with my watch when I have a more usual soft fall. It only takes a swipe and two presses but I was unable to do anything until he roused me, the dog was helpful with that too! 🐕

I know that I have gone into that in detail but non epileptic seizures are not like other types of seizures, as you can see!

I'm a lot better today, but as you've said yourself, you feel that you haven't gone through anywhere near what the man at the hospital did but it was still bad enough for both of us. We mustn't underestimate that. 🤔

I read that particular post that @Grumpy1314 wrote. It was very inspiring and to the point, nice one Grumpy! 👌😀 Quiet a few things have happened very recently which must be giving us all more hope. SO MUCH MORE TO DO though, none of us can sit back and take things for granted. It's only early days yet, we are only just really getting the foundations sorted, then we must build securely on them and then keep building for as long as it ever it takes! 💪

I'm glad that you could see my point about the journey being as important as the destination. 😊

I currently seem to be writing this email, responding to that survey, signing a petition etc, etc. As you know, it's not easy when you are disabled but it is SO well worth doing, from every long email to every time we sign a signature we are making just that bit more of a difference to how all this is going to play out.

It seems that between about 70 - 75% of the general public are on our side too plus nearly thirty MPs are going to vote against this with about another 10 against it. That doesn't seem many but there was only about 6 or 7 MPs that voted for the child benefit cap so that's good going, in comparison. Hopefully, more of them will find their moral compass and backbone and vote for us in July. 🤞🍀

We wish you, all the best too, 👍 and do take care of yourself, especially at the moment. 😊

If you still are struggling to email your MP for any reason or worried about not being able to word it in exactly the right way for greatest effect, as I've been doing, here's what I consider a truly excellent template on the Benefits and Work forum. I hope that it might help some of you. 🤞😊

https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/forum/10-dla-esa-queries-results/149338-letter-template-to-mps-about-green-paper

Good Luck!! 🍀 👍

@jul1aorways

Good to hear from you 😊It’s always so refreshing to see your posts. I’m so sorry to hear about your non-epileptic seizure and that hard fall to the floor. I’m really pleased you’re feeling a bit better now and had your husband and even the dog there to help rouse you. It must’ve been incredibly frightening, especially not being able to move. It’s such a relief that you had support close by and a downstairs bed to get to with ease. I truly hope you make a full recovery from this traumatic experience.

Thanks for checking in on me. I’m slowly progressing and have an appointment with the physio in two days to get things checked. I’m still in pain and keeping my ice packs company 😉.

Yes, I completely agree with what you said about the older gentleman I met briefly at A&E. I also hope that he is now receiving the care he needs in hospital as he begins his recovery. Whether he returns to his garden or not,There was something about his quiet strength and dignity that’s stayed with me. Like you said, most people his age would have been devastated by such an accident, but he just carried himself with grace and courage. He reminded me that no matter how hard things get, there’s always someone going through something equally or even more difficult. It puts our own struggles into a different light, doesn’t it?
It’s been lovely catching up with @Grumpy1314 too – I often think of that powerful ending in one of his posts where he said: “They think we’re weak, that we can be silenced or shut down – but they’ve got it terribly wrong. We’re resilient, strong, and ready to defend our rights.”He was absolutely right – and like you, I believe the government is in for a shock. Our collaborative voices have so much power!

When my benefits were wrongly stopped by the DWP – a mistake on their part – we had days where we survived only on bread, often stale. Sometimes, I went without food just so the kids could eat. What did my kids ever do to deserve such a life? I often think about all the other families, all the children, going through this right now. It truly breaks my heart.

Like you, I’ve followed the green paper discussions and seen the utter despair shared by so many. I’m honestly appalled at this government – since July 2024, nearly every decision they’ve made has worsened the lives of disabled and vulnerable people. How dare they use terms like “lazy” and “taking the mickey” to describe us? And then go on to publish that green paper calling it “moral” and “common sense”? Page 9 has those exact words in bold. 

In an effort to write a direct letter to my MP-knowing they often respond to numbers-I began calculating the impact these proposed cuts would have on my household finances. Just factoring in rent and two utility bills, I was already £180 in deficit. That’s not even accounting for food. What are we meant to eat—fresh air? The thought of my children going hungry pushes me into survival mode. I feel I have no choice but to fight this with everything I have. Seeing others in the same situation only strengthens my resolve. In my letter, I also expressed how deeply hurt I am that the government has framed these proposals as being driven by a sense of “moral duty.” I asked my MP-what exactly is moral about pushing families like mine into hunger and hardship?
Where’s the impact analysis for this green paper proposal? I haven’t seen one. I was thinking the exact same thing as you last night. This government isn’t listening. They dodge questions in Parliament with the same old line: “We’re the party of work. If you can work, you should work.”What support are they even talking about? They’re not proposing any new measures – just stripping away existing ones, like the WCA, and making PIP even harder to access. In this green paper proposal, they’ve shut down real consultation on many of the issues that matter, the ones that will cause irreversible harm to so many.All of this just to silence our voices-but they forget that our resilience includes fighting for our dignity and our rights.

Some of my healthcare professional colleagues -many of them part-time and relying on PIP to top up their income – are already showing signs of distress. The fear is crushing. Suicidal thoughts are becoming more common. I’ve been spending a lot of time just being there for them, offering a listening ear. Across the scope threads and platforms, I’ve seen so many people crying out – some dangerously close to giving up. It pierces my heart.

We are in the UK –A diverse Democratic country-not under a dictatorship. But like @Grumpy1314 said, it really does feel like we’re heading back to the dark ages. This green paper doesn’t benefit disabled and vulnerable  people in any way.It’s just a deceptively disguised budget-cut stunt, with £4.5 billion in cuts to welfare benefits intended for vulnerable and disabled people – nothing more.
Sometimes I wonder, do they want to erase us altogether? Are we meant to just work until we drop and then quietly disappear if we become ill or disabled? How is that just or fair?
I saw that Benefits and Work called this proposal “bogus” the day it was published – and they were absolutely spot on.

Even the so-called “accessible” Public virtual consultations which they’ve just released  aren’t accessible. I’ve been trying to book onto one since the paper came out, but every time I try, no sessions are available. As alerted by @MW123 in our green paper thread,even virtual consultations feels secretive, deliberately made hard to engage with. I’ve sent several emails and additional  messages via Eventbrite and haven’t had a single response.
But I’m not backing down. I want to support every one of us -our families, friends, colleagues to respond directly to this consultation and oppose it moving forward.

I completely agree with you – there’s so much more to be done. I’ve also been signing every petition, writing open letters, and doing all I can. It’s encouraging to hear that more MPs are getting involved. I heard from Scope that 94 MPs attended a session to show support. As our member @chiarieds kindly highlighted, Scopes’ ‘The Cost of Cuts’ campaign has seen public support soar from 70,000 to now towards 100,000 signatures👏👏 – that’s incredibly empowering. Change.org campaigns like the one led by Richard Burgon and another by Lynda (can’t recall her surname either!) are also picking up speed – around 50,000 signatures each.✌️
As you said, MPs are waking up. Whether they care about morality or just want to keep their seats, it doesn’t matter – they’re realising this could be political suicide. Many pensioners who voted Labour are now regretting it.
Some media outlets have started highlighting our voices too. I watched a video that @Martinp shared on our main green paper thread , featuring interviews with disabled people across the UK – it moved me to tears.

As I said on the main green paper  thread, this proposal clearly violates Section 149 of the Equality Act: the Public Sector Equality Duty. It demands that public authorities eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations. This green paper breaches all of it. It does nothing to uphold our rights – and that must be our line of defence.
Now more than ever, we need to stand united. Let’s keep lifting each other up, encouraging each other, and making our voices heard. We must respond to the consultation before it closes in June.

Together, we hold so much power. Let’s embrace that strength and never lose hope.
Thank you again, Juls. Keep up the hard work!

You are truly fantastic!👏👏

Thanks for sharing @Dav1D

Strangely, My MP’s name is not on any list. Was there any group list that were“Neutral “?

Best Wishes!

My MP is voting for the cuts . Scum .

@jul1aorways

Hey Juls,

Thank you again for your message. I always feel like we’re two mates sat in a pub after a long week, untangling the mess life throws at us with a bit of honesty and warmth. You’ve got a way of cutting through the noise and finding the real heart of things. It means more than I can say.👏

Physio’s been pushed back to the 11th, though oddly, I’m not too anxious about it. The shoulder’s slightly better when I don’t push too hard - but as you’ll know, it’s that dangerous “false plateau” that tricks you into thinking things are okay when they’re not. Still, small wins🏆. I really hope your seizures settle down soon. That unpredictability sounds terrifying, but your acceptance of it-not defeat, but real, hard-won resilience ….is something I truly admire. What you said stayed with me: we’ve become experts at enduring what would crush most others. There’s a certain strength in us disabled folk that gets overlooked far too easily.

That elderly gentleman I met in A&E really brought that home. Seven broken ribs and a fractured spine, yet he sat there like it was a sprained ankle. No fuss, no bitterness - just this quiet will to get better and return to his garden. 😬You’re right!At 86, that kind of injury can be a death sentence, yet he had more life in him than anyone else in the room. His wife’s strength too… I could also see how hard she was holding it all together. It stayed with me. I walked away thinking, if he can face that with such calm, maybe I can keep facing what I’ve got, too.I only wish to believe that he is recovering peacefully in his hospital bed, and that his wife is truly being supported -nothing more. Even if reality is different, that hope is what I choose to hold on to.❤️‍🩹

And coming back to the heart of what we’ve been discussing - this betrayal from Labour. Honestly, Juls, you’ve hit the nail right on the head with your views🤮. I’ve now added Stephen Timms to my personal list of so-called progressives who’ve drifted into Liebour’s territory. That BBC podcast interview of his (@Yogibear shared in the green paper thread) was nothing but polished spin. All that “consultation”🤭 talk, but no recognition of what we’re really up against. Just like Reeves, Kendall, and Starmer 😡 all stat sheets, no soul. I have added my views on Scope’s Green Paper Thread(SGPT).

Here’s the bitter irony they won’t confront and is still a great cause for concern and a reason to fight back :Instead of addressing the root causes behind the rising number of disabled people like poverty, burnout, long-term post-viral illness, workplace discrimination, and delayed NHS care -they’re ruthlessly doubling down on benefit cuts.

They don’t want to fix the broken systems 👆. They just want us off their books and to tidy up their budgets. It’s all too clear in the rushed, non-inclusive, and vague proposal — and the so-called consultation process, which is marketed as accessible but is anything but.

As Inclusion London puts it so clearly:

“We live in a world that disables us through systemic barriers. Benefits are not ‘extras’ -they are essential support to help us survive, participate, and live.”

And yet, they’re being gutted. Not to save lives, but to save face.
The statistics I’ve been reading in the Family Resources Survey 2022–23 -thanks again to @santosha12 🙏🏽for pointing me to it on the SGPT — are truly sobering, especially when considered alongside the powerful May 2024 House of Lords debate on “People with Disabilities – Access to Services.”
That inclusive debate covered the many challenges faced by disabled people, including access to benefits, employment, education, housing, and healthcare. This is such a crucial argument, especially in light of the current reality-where even a Labour government, which many of us hoped would champion the vulnerable, appears to be pushing through cuts that disproportionately affect disabled people. It’s a sobering reminder of how easily our needs can be sidelined, regardless of who is in power.

(Fair warning: That debate is a very long read, but absolutely worth the effort!)

And let’s be honest: things have only worsened since then. More people are falling into disability, poverty, homelessness, and hunger. And when you place that next to: 

 •   NHS waiting lists in absolute crisis 

 •   A crumbling social care system 

 •   SEND services slashed to the bone 

 •   Housing that’s inaccessible or just unaffordable 

 •   And workplaces still not even close to inclusive…(Credit: Inclusion London)…

it’s no wonder so many of us are trapped and invisible.
What stings most is how we’re portrayed. Lazy. A burden. It’s insulting and childish. Politicians using dog-whistle slurs to justify what is, quite frankly, economic violence against the most vulnerable people in society. They don’t just cut our benefits; they deny us the dignity and peace we deserve, as if our lives are expendable.😡

As you pointed out : The courts already ruled the Tory green paper plan unlawful — because the whole thing was built on the lie that it would help disabled people “back into work,” when the OBR’s own analysis said only 3% might actually benefit. Labour’s version? Same rotten framework, just dressed up in fancier suits, built on unreliable paper thin  evidence and blocking the voices of vulnerable people in the consultation process .

You’re right, Juls. They are trying to erase us. But they’ve underestimated us too.(credit: @grumpy1314)
We’re not going quietly. We’re not backing down. And we are most definitely not alone.

Thank you for suggesting I reach out to DPOs -I’ve tried a few already, including local DPAC, though I’ve not heard anything back after couple of emails . I imagine they’re completely overwhelmed. I even shared an email list of every DPO I could find in SGPT, but I’m unable to locate it. It’s so exhausting trying to chase it all up with my brain fog-especially when navigating our comments within the whole forum threads is quite difficult, unless it’s your own thread.I’m thinking of messaging our lovely Scope Admin Mods just to see if there’s a better way to track our own conversations.
Thank you for the laughter and solidarity, Juls. You keep me going. And you remind me that even when we’re knackered, even when our lives feel like they’re hanging on by a thread, our voices still matter.

You’re right-they really are making our lives a living hell. All we want is a peaceful, stable life. A life where we’re not punished for simply existing. But they won’t allow that, will they?

I’ve known real hunger and so have many others, Juls. I don’t say that lightly. As I said, I remember stale bread and empty cupboards. Starvation isn’t just hunger……it’s a fear that gnaws at you. And I never want to go back there again. But with all these cuts, that fear is creeping in again. There are days I pray for a miracle- that my health will suddenly return, and I’ll be able to work like I used to. But that hope only ever sets me up to fail when I start to push myself . I spend 80% of my time in bed now. My body just doesn’t play along.

I’ve written to my Labour MP five times. The last one was that brilliant Benefits and Work letter you shared. The two replies I got so far? Just the same Labour spin, repackaged as local concern - full of the usual waffle about “supporting people into work.” But who asked for that? It’s insulting. I deliberately left some parts of that B&W letter untouched — I wanted to see if he’d actually listen and stand up for us when this hits Parliament. No answer yet.

I also saw a post from @yogibear yesterday on SGPT about the Disability News Service article that mentioned three firms of solicitors preparing to challenge these benefit cuts. What caught my eye was the line that “many of these proposals will be implemented via primary legislation.” That’s serious. So I urged others to prepare and  respond directly to the consultation-because if enough of us raise our voices now, it can’t be ignored when this goes to parliamentary debate.

We might not know all the parliamentary processes - but we know this much:A proposal not built with disabled people must never be passed over us.

Your last post really touched me. You’re so sharp and informed. All your posts are informative 📰I’ve learned more from you and the Scope community😇 members than from any policy document or politician. Being disabled is a full-time job in itself. I can’t even get to my own garden most days. And yet, I have to stay alert to every headline, every rumour, every consultation-just to protect the fragile stability I’ve managed to build. It’s draining, leaving me with no energy for anything else. 😔

Thank you for being there, Juls. For your humour, your fire, and your honesty. Keep shining your light we all need it!

In solidarity always!

@jul1aorways

Thank you , Juls . I’ve just signed it. Did you notice that the ‘No 4-Point PIP Descriptors’ survey on Benefits and Work has now been closed?
Best wishes ✌️