Britain’s prime minister Keir Starmer faces a growing backlash from within his own party and its allies over £5 billion (€5.96 billion) of cuts to disability benefits, which the government insists are necessary to balance the books.
Labour backbenchers have started to speak out against the plan and a significant rebellion is expected if some of the proposals are put to a vote in parliament in the coming weeks.
During prime minister’s questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Mr Starmer was put under significant pressure following an impassioned contribution from Colum Eastwood, the former leader of Labour’s sister party, the SDLP.
The Derry-based MP told Mr Starmer he had been approached by a disabled constituent who needed help from her children to eat, wash and go to the toilet. He said that under the Tory government, he had been able to help get her on a personal independence payment (Pip), a form of disability welfare benefit that is being targeted under the cuts.
“Under the prime minister’s new proposed system, she will get zero, nothing,” said Mr Eastwood, to a completely silenced House of Commons. “After 14 years of the Tory government, and many of us wanted to see the back of them, can the prime minister answer one question: what was the point if Labour are going to do this?”
The prime minister also came under pressure from Diane Abbott, the left-wing London MP whom Mr Starmer’s allies were accused of trying to force out of the Labour Party in advance of last July’s election, before relenting under pressure.
Ms Abbott said a Labour government should act in a “moral” way on such issues.
“There is nothing moral about cutting benefits for what may be up to one million people. This is not about morality. This is about the treasury’s wish to balance the books on the back of the most vulnerable and poor people in this society,” she said.
Other Labour MPs also spoke out against the proposed cuts on Wednesday afternoon, following PMQs. Referring to Mr Eastwood’s contribution, Leeds East Labour MP Richard Burgon posted online that the prime minister was “unable to answer a simple question about why a disabled person who needs help to eat, wash and manage toilet needs could no longer get Pip under his proposals”.
Mr Burgon said the proposed cuts were “cruel” and should be dropped.
On Tuesday, work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall laid out in the Commons the plans to save £5 billion by cutting benefits, including measures designed to shepherd younger people into the workforce – up to one in eight young people in Britain are out of work.
