Get your MP to act against cuts

I'm so sorry to hear that you had an accident yesterday!😮 That must have been frightening as well as very painful. Nobody wants to combine that with a long wait at A&E either!! 😣

I do admire your determination to carry on with what you are doing. Just please don't push yourself too much though! 😊

Thank you for your very kind words, it is good to know that what I've said is helping you to cope with what we have to deal with from government and I'm only too glad to help others too, ultimately helping each other to be much more empowered together than apart. 💪💪💪It's very satisfying to do, knowing that I'm making a difference.

You DO deserve the compliments I've given you!! That's for sure. 👏👏👏 The way I see it is that the process of fighting these cuts is as important, if not more important than winning the battle. Really I personally think that it's more important as we are having to wade through so much misery and uncertainty while ministers and MPs are doing so much to misrepresent us to make sure they get these reforms though, by whatever means they can.

The destination is vitally important but I think the journey is everything, myself. Stop being so modest! 😊

I agree, let's continue with what we're doing, going down every route we can, supporting our fellow disabled through the process too, if only to be on their side if they can't deal with fighting these proposals, for whatever reason. Of course, the more we can help the better!! 👌🤗

I ought to be the one who thanks YOU for everything, it means such a lot to me too, it really does! 😃

Best Wishes to you and a speedy recovery. 👍

Hi again @jul1aorways ,
Thank you ever so much for your lovely message. It truly meant a lot to read your kind words after my A&E visit yesterday.

I’m still in pain but thankfully on the road to recovery. What really stayed with me from yesterday was a brief but touching moment while waiting in the long queue -I had a chat with an elderly couple, the gentleman aged 86 who’d fractured eight ribs and a vertebrae after falling at home on a wooden cabinet . They’d arrived at 9 in the morning and were still waiting for a bed by 9 in the evening. Yet, despite the pain and distress, he simply told me, “It’s just a bad day – I’m in the right place now and I’ll soon be back in the garden.” His quiet strength and positive outlook really moved me. Compared to what he had endured, my own pain injury felt quite small. It gave me a fresh perspective and renewed determination to keep going.
That moment strangely mirrored the spirit we’ve been sharing on the forum lately , reminding me again of the power of resilience, hope, and standing together.
Like you said so beautifully, it’s the journey - the process of pushing back, lifting each other up, and holding the line – that carries as much importance as the outcome itself. We may not yet know how this fight will unfold, but every voice raised, every post shared, and every person empowered makes a difference.

I completely agree with what you said about the ministers – we’ve got to keep writing to MPs, raising awareness and challenging these reforms head-on. As our lovely Scope Mods updated-94 MPs recently took note of constituents’ concerns, which I think is a promising start – but we can’t stop there. As @Grumpy1314 put it so powerfully last night , we must show that we are not weak, and we will never stop standing up for our rights.

I’ve also now come across the public consultation events and accessible formats now listed on the official Pathways to Work Green Paper site. I was surprised they’re charging for printed copies – which hardly helps accessibility – but I’ve shared the key links on Scope’s Green Paper thread, and I’ve asked the moderators to consider making an announcement too, especially as so many members have found the full documents far too long and exhausting.

As you and others have highlighted, this isn’t just policy or proposals – it feels like an outright attack on disabled, vulnerable and elderly people through their ethos since Labour taking office in July 2024 . But what the government clearly doesn’t realise is the strength we draw from each other – the solidarity, the real-life stories, and the unwavering spirit that binds us.

So yes, let’s keep going. Let’s encourage others to respond to the consultation, join the campaign, and keep making our voices heard. I’m seriously thinking of attending one of the virtual consultation events myself to better understand their proposals – and to challenge them on their own terms.

Thank you again, Juls. Your words have lifted me more than you know. Let’s keep standing strong – together.
Wishing you and your husband all the very best,

Take good care

Hi @Tori_Scope - I hope you are keeping well 😊

I've just sent a photo of the letter I received this morning from my MP to campaigns@scope.org.uk

Thank you for the update about the event on April 2nd & all the work that Scope as a pan disability does for us all.

Sorry to hear you’re going through such a tough time, @Grumpy1314. Life can be so hard for those of us dealing with all this, can’t it? Please be kind to yourself and take things as gently as you need to.

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!