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Starmer’s got the gall: welfare cuts literally won’t help

Divine Neza argues that Keir Starmer cannot risk cutting public spending and ushering in a return to Tory-austerity and more unfounded attacks on welfare claimants.
Image: 10 Downing Street
Image: 10 Downing Street

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Fourteen years of austerity Britain, reforms to disability benefits deemed “unlawful” by the High Courts and thousands made ill by inadequate public healthcare but, Starmer thinks more cuts to welfare is the answer. “Economically inactive,” so say members of the government and “stop self-diagnosing,” said former PM – supporter of the 2003 Iraq invasion – Tony Blair.

I’m tired of supposedly left-wing politicians abandoning vulnerable people under the guise of fixing the economy. The PM told The Sun he “loves to fight” – a stark difference from former Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn. Comparing his ambitions to cut welfare spending, to ousting the Independent MP, he said: “We had to change the party.”

If he loves to fight so much why doesn’t Starmer tackle the bigger and tougher reason why this country is so stagnant: a culture of passivity in the face of suffering. ‘Keep calm and carry on’ has done irreparable damage to our motivations. A cost-of-living crisis only exacerbated Britain’s underlying problems – people aren’t happy and there’s not much reason to be.

Time after time Chancellors have decided those unable to work – either at all or without necessary accommodation – must pay the price for a failing economy. Our NHS, social care and welfare systems are barely keeping people alive as it is, disparaging comments from leaders of the country contribute to the ableism creeping its way back into society.

The experiences of disabled people in the UK have been fraught since the pandemic. Despite police reported hate crimes falling by 18% – down to the lowest figures since March 2021 – Stop Hate UK’s website says disability-motivated hate crime is the second-highest motivation for reporting to its 24-hour helpline. According to the DWP, in the 2022/23 financial year 16.1million people in the UK had a disability – I worry how many of them have been discriminated against and not sought justice.

When asked how the government plans to support disabled people who are unable to work, the PM repeatedly advocated for businesses to employ the long-term sick. But some simply cannot work a full-time job – he acknowledged their need for support with no mention of how the government intends to help.

The former and current prime minister both recently made statements that caused many to seriously worry about their futures. Blair blamed the country’s “spiralling mental health bill” on people who say they’re depressed and Starmer said: “We will be ruthless with cuts if that’s what’s necessary.”

It’s a gratuitous, counterproductive approach to fixing the nation. The costs for Labour are high, but it feels like nobody understands the cause. In the same way people insist we can’t just throw money at a problem to make it go away, why don’t they see we can’t starve people and expect them to thrive?

According to Rishi Sunak’s government, PIP costs are expected to rise to £35billion in the next four years, but the rate of fraud for this benefit in 2023 was 0%. Any claims sensitive, lazy ‘snowflakes’ costing the country billions are simply false – more people than ever before in this country are genuinely just not feeling well. It’s not an out of work benefit. It’s a life-saving income for people whose disabilities bring about extra costs.

The process whereby claimants are granted PIP is not an easy one, in fact it’s a rather tortuous application process. Pages upon pages of evidence must be provided; most assessments are carried out on the phone (by an agency employee independent from the DWP) with questions designed to rate just how disabled you are. Lest we forget, a trip to the courthouse if you appeal a denial – 70% of claimants find themselves in this position only to have their claim granted, around a year after applying.

Hundreds of people deserving of PIP abandon their claim because of how dehumanising the process can be, especially when denied – the energy required to take the case to tribunal, although likely to win, is a tall order for those already suffering with long term illness. Support for disabled adults who live independently should be encouraged – but instead the government continues to make that incredibly difficult.

If cuts are not to take control of assessments, I am vehemently against a reduction in welfare spending, and I find the term “economically inactive” completely lacking in nuance. Millions in this country are working age, chronically ill and independent, they’re still spending money on the very same things people not receiving benefits are – and then some.

Standard rate of Universal Credit for a single person over 25 with no children is £393.45, you get an extra £416.19 a month if you have limited capability for work. Housing benefit rates vary nationwide but studies show one third of disabled people in the UK are living in poverty. Oftentimes disabled people deplete their resources just to maintain a somewhat decent quality of life: daily living costs are made even more unaffordable when someone must spend more to have their needs met. That’s what PIP is for – to help disabled people live independently.

The Health Foundation’s Commission for Healthier Working Lives report states: “Many people with health conditions who are currently out of the workforce express a desire to work if they have the right job and support. However, the social security system often fails to aid in this, leading to low re-entry rates. Support is mainly directed at people who are unemployed, leaving those on incapacity benefits or not claiming benefits with limited help.” Welfare rights and policy adviser at Disability Rights UK, Ken Butler said it was “refreshing” for the report to not blame disabled people for their “economic inactivity”.

Cuts to public spending in 2025 will only intensify the struggles disabled people face – thousands, maybe even millions could die. Since an assisted dying bill for the terminally ill has passed through committee stage for legislation, maybe that’s Starmer’s plan after all – playing the long game with vulnerable lives?

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