Meet the rebel Labour MPs voting against disability benefit cuts: 'I don't want to be part of it'

A group of 15 Labour MPs gathered in opposition against the government’s planned cuts to disability benefits, confirming that they will be rebelling against their party in an upcoming parliamentary vote on the welfare reforms.

They met on Tuesday (17 June) outside the House of Commons for a photo-call organised by Disability Rights UK and DPO Forum England to publicly show their support for the millions of disabled and ill people who will be impacted by the cuts to benefits.

MPs will vote on the package of measures in the coming weeks, with far more than were willing to be photographed on Tuesday morning expected to vote against the government.

Read more:

• Disabled woman forced to quit job she loves after DWP support slashed: ‘I can’t make it make sense’
• 70,000 more people to lose disability benefits under Labour’s cuts than originally expected
• Disability benefit cuts will harm hundreds of thousands, MPs warn: ‘A disaster on every front’

Neil Duncan-Jordan, Labour MP for Poole, told the Big Issue: “I’m very concerned that the government is going to make changes to the disability benefits system, and I’m here today to show that I’m not prepared to back those changes if it means making three million people poorer than they are today.”

Around 3.2 million people are set to lose financial support as a result of the disability benefit cuts, according to the government’s own estimates. 

Brian Leishman, MP for Alloa and Grangemouth, said: “I’m here to show solidarity with disabled people, some of the most vulnerable people in the country, and say that I will not impoverish them and consign them to poverty. 

“As a proud Labour member, I’m ashamed at these proposals. What we really should be doing is, after 14 years of austerity that has decimated communities around the UK, we should be building a caring and compassionate society – and that means looking after people who need help.”

The government’s proposals include tightening the eligibility criteria for the personal independence payment (PIP), as well as slashing the universal credit health element in half for new claimants and freezing it for current claimants. 

Nadia Whittome, Labour MP for Nottingham East, said: “I’m here with many Labour MPs from right across the broad church of the Labour parliamentary party. These aren’t the only people who have pledged to vote against the disability cuts, but all of us here are calling on the government to drop these proposed cuts, because they’ll plunge people deeper into poverty. 

“They’ll make people more unwell and we’re saying there are other choices the government could be making. The government could be taxing extreme wealth, for example. I’ve heard some criticism of our position that people proposing these cuts just want the welfare system to stay as it is.

“Nobody’s saying that. Disabled people know better than anyone how awful the current welfare system is,  and that’s not because it’s too generous. It’s because it’s so punitive. Of course we want change, but this is in the wrong direction.”

The Big Issue has reported extensively on the experiences of disabled people going through the process of claiming benefits. Some have described how it has pushed them to “psychological trauma” to the point of being suicidal.

Rachael Maskell, the Labour MP for York Central, said: “I’m very clear that if the government moves ahead with cuts to universal credit health element, as well as personal independence payment, disabled people are not only going to suffer but be pushed into poverty. That’s not what a Labour government is for. 

“It’s very simple. We’ve got to protect people in our country who need that vital support and I’ll certainly be doing that, so I’ll be voting against any measure that’s going to cause harm to disabled people.”

The government has estimated that 250,000 people will be pushed into poverty by the cuts, but the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has gone further, calculating that as many as 400,000 people could face poverty as a result.

Paula Barker, MP for Liverpool Wavertree, said: “I’m here today to show my support to everyone who is opposed to disability benefit cuts. They are morally wrong. We should be engaging with our disabled community. We should be supporting them. And for those who are able to work, we should be providing that support. We shouldn’t be trying to crack an egg with a great big baseball bat because it just doesn’t work.”

Ian Byrne, MP for Liverpool West Derby, agreed, saying: “I’m completely opposed to what the government is proposing. It’s going to be absolutely devastating for places like Liverpool and West Derby. 

“I’ve held a citizens assembly on this and it was overwhelmingly in favour of rejecting this, and the fear was absolutely palpable within the audience about what’s going to come down the line. Labour governments shouldn’t be doing this to the most vulnerable in society.”

The most deprived constituencies will lose nearly three times the amount of the least deprived, according to research from Health Equity North. Each working-age person affected in the most deprived 10% of regions of the UK will lose £265 on average, compared to £96 in the richest areas.

Lorraine Beavers, the MP for Blackpool North and Fleetwood, said: “I’m here today to stand with other Labour MPs to say that I won’t be voting for the disability cuts. It’s important because this is the red line. We bring people with us. We don’t leave anybody behind. We are the Labour Party. 

“We do not attack people that are vulnerable and have disabilities. I’ve got real concerns on the impact of these cuts on people with mental health and disabilities. It’s hard enough to be disabled and feel lonely and be on your own, but then to financially attack you and your family is not what the Labour Party do.”

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimates that 800,000 people will lose money from their PIP as a result of the changes to the eligibility criteria. Of these, 400,000 people will lose their PIP entirely because they are not eligible for the mobility element.

Cat Eccles, Labour MP for Stourbridge, added: “I’m opposing the government’s welfare reforms. I don’t think it’s OK to start cutting money from disabled people before we’ve got adequate support in place. I think the narrative that’s been created around people who have to claim benefits is really unhelpful for society. We should be doing more to put support in place before we even think about taking anyone’s support away.”

Kate Osborne, MP for Jarrow and and Gateshead East, added: “I’m here to show my support for voting against the disability cuts, and because it’s not right in so many ways. We have communities like mine where a lot of people are struggling with their everyday living and we have to do all we can to support people in work. 

“A lot of people on these benefits are in work and the removal of them will take that ability away to a large degree, so I think at a time we need to be showing our electorate and our communities  that we support them, it’s doing exactly the opposite. 

“And actually, it’s going to damage our economy. There’s all the people that are working and inputting, as well as of course their own dignity and self respect of being able to get up and go to work. If that’s removed, I don’t want to be a part of that. “

Mary Kelly Foy, MP for the City of Durham, was unable to make the photo-call but has written to work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall, prime minister Keir Starmer and chancellor Rachel Reeves calling on them to pause the welfare reforms.

She wrote: “While there is a strong argument that there should be some reform and rebalancing of the social security system, we should not be placing the burden of these changes on the backs of some of the most vulnerable people in our society. 

“I would urge the government to pause these changes, and look again at how the system can be reformed while protecting those in the greatest need.”

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