Labour’s hypocrisy is on full display yet again. During the election, they remained relatively quiet about Tory plans to cut disability benefits, which included slashing Personal Independence Payment (PIP) by £400 for new applicants by 2029 and reforming to the “fit for work” test (Work Capability Assessment). Plans that the high court has since ruled “unlawful”…
Now, with Rachel Reeves backed into a corner by her bombshell budget, Labour are rolling out the pitch to further welfare cuts, suggesting the planned disability benefits overhaul will be “delivered.” Another U-turn in the making…
Guido dug into the archives and found Reeves was singing a very different tune when she was Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. Back when Theresa May proposed disability benefit cuts – swapping out the disability living allowance with the current PIP scheme that tightened eligibility criteria – Reeves was all over Twitter condemning the “disgraceful” plans. Labour’s now preparing to further cut May’s benefit overhaul – a move that Reeves so happily bashed at the time…
She proudly promoted Labour’s 2015 manifesto as the “#DisabilityManifesto,” standing firmly against any cuts. She even wrote to then-Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, slamming the proposed changes as “hugely damaging” to disabled people and their carers. She demanded transparency, declaring, “The public have a right to know what your plans are.” Fast forward, and those words are just as relevant now. Labour backbenchers will no doubt be seething at yet more party promises broken. The blame lies squarely with Reeves…
Sarah Pochin at Reform Scotland’s manifesto launch event: “I really wanted to come on in a Reform tartan burka, but apparently I wasn’t allowed… One day let’s do one of these events not live-streamed. We’ll do all the naughty stuff…”