I'm a Labour MP. This is why I can't support Starmer's benefits cuts

This week, alongside 41 of my colleagues, I signed a letter to the government urging them to reconsider their current welfare reform plans and benefits cuts. As the green paper currently stands, I cannot in good conscience vote it through. 

The cuts of over £7 billion are not just numbers; they translate into real hardship for millions. As was stated in the letter, this is the most severe attack on the welfare state we have seen since George Osborne’s austerity measures, affecting over three million of the most disadvantaged people. 

The proposed reforms to the personal independence payment (PIP) are particularly alarming. I have spoken to disability and welfare organisations, as well as directly to those that these cuts will impact, the concerns raised make it clear that these cuts will not have the outcome the government hopes to have. 

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Many PIP claimants are already employed, and these cuts will only serve to undermine their efforts. It is crucial to remember that living with a disability comes with added costs, and PIP helps many afford essential equipment and support for a dignified life. With seven in 10 PIP claimants living in lower-income households, the impact of these cuts will be disproportionately felt by those who can least afford it.

While I appreciate that the government has identified issues within a broken benefits system and a lack of job opportunities, their proposed solutions are misguided. Cuts do not create jobs; they exacerbate the problems. It is essential that we delay any decisions until we have a clear understanding of the impact these cuts will have on employment, health, and the demand for social care services. We owe it to our constituents to wait for the assessments due later this autumn before making such critical decisions.

In the meantime, we need to engage in meaningful dialogue with the relevant disability charities and organisations. We must redesign the benefits system so that is not only less complex but so that it also offers greater support. Addressing the barriers disabled individuals face in finding and maintaining employment should be our priority. We must invest in job creation and strengthen legal protections against discrimination in the workplace.

As a proud trade unionist, I completely agree with the chancellor’s belief in the importance of secure, well-paid work as a pathway out of poverty. I welcome initiatives aimed at supporting people back into employment. However, I believe the cuts proposed fly in the face of this vision. The independent impact assessment revealed that these measures will push an additional 250,000 people into poverty—an outcome I cannot support.

This Labour government is still in its early days, and I want us to succeed – but we cannot allow Treasury orthodoxy to dictate policy at the expense of our constituents. I take great pride in the progress we’ve made in enhancing workers’ rights, reducing NHS waiting times, and improving renters’ rights. However, this shift towards austerity measures is deeply troubling. 

I hope the government will listen to us, as well as voters across the country. The recent round of local elections as well as the by-election in my neighbouring constituency, Runcorn and Helsby, have made it clear people are not happy with the direction we are headed in. Politics is ultimately about choices, and I implore our government to listen to these concerns and make the right ones. Like me, many will agree that reforming the welfare system is necessary, but not at the expense of the most vulnerable.

Paula Barker is the Labour MP for Liverpool Wavertree.

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