Fighting disability cuts

For years disabled people have faced cuts to support and cuts to the income we need to live in dignity. The savagery of austerity hollowed out public services and resulted in hundreds, if not thousands of untimely deaths, and for many disabled people the decision to pass the assisted suicide bill has only added to that terrible feeling we are not valued and left us fearing for our futures. 

If the PIP and UC bill had gone through as originally written it would have meant I would have lost thousands from cuts to PIP and Universal Credit. Before the government made concessions Citizens Advice warned that 900,000 people would lose between £9-10,700 a year. 

Starmer said these cuts were his moral mission and Kendall warned that without cuts the system would buckle. Both of them ignoring the growing chorus of criticism that came from academics, charities, campaigners and policy experts. These cuts were never about fairness or efficiency; they were not about the economy, productivity or getting people into work. These cuts are ideological and so much worse than anything the Tories have done… and ministers have used language that has misled both the public and MPs.

Ministers and journalists describe us as economically inactive, casually ignoring the important contributions we make to our communities through unpaid voluntary work. They imply we are liars and scroungers who fake our conditions. My friend Sarah has Cystic Fibrosis and requires a carer. Losing PIP would have meant losing her carer and her ability to live an independent life. 

And even though PIP was temporarily dropped at the second reading her anxiety remains high. These last few months have left her feeling incredibly insecure – and she is not alone. The climbdown from the govt to buy votes, with promises of coproduction has not left us feeling reassured. We do not trust the government after it has behaved so dishonestly – and we must not forget the huge universal credit cuts that remain for new claimants. It makes a mockery of any claims the govt make they are protecting vulnerable people.

The frustration about this whole thing is that all of this could have been handled so much differently. There are issues that need to be addressed and disabled people are keen to help make those positive changes. However, it doesn’t start with huge benefit cuts. Cuts that have left us feeling frightened and in some cases suicidal.

We need to look at the role of employers and the lack of support and training. We need to tackle the disability pay gap. We need to look at how disabled people get to work when so often we cannot use public transport. We need to change the Access to Work scheme so people are not left waiting ages, sometimes years for support. We need to look at the DWP and how it treats both its employees and claimants. The DWP must be held accountable for the claimants’ deaths. People like Jodey Whiting who took her own life after the DWP cut her ESA. We need to look at jobcentres that now send you to Citizens advice or a foodbank when you need help, rather than help you themselves. Both are not fit for purpose, despite the efforts of many of its staff. We need to stop blaming disabled people for not being able to overcome the many barriers that society puts in front of us to participate fairly and equally. 

Starmer told The Sun newspaper that he has ‘the balls to be ruthless’ but there is nothing big about throwing the poorest and most disabled people in society and their children into poverty and destitution. There is nothing cool about choosing war over welfare. What the local elections showed us is that their policies have pushed people towards Reform, which makes it even more urgent that we build a united and strong resistance that is based on principles of fairness and solidarity. 

There is a huge fear out there so it is up to all of us to ramp up the pressure. DPAC will continue to organise locally and nationally. This, however, is not just a disability issue, this is a class issue and we urge everyone here to join us to fight against these cuts.

By Andy Mitchell

Photo by Mark Thomas