My response to the welfare debate

In Blackpool, one in four residents are living with a disability. For these individuals, the cost of living is £1,010 higher per month – a crushing financial burden that leaves many facing impossible choices.

Shockingly, 75% of people referred to foodbanks report that they, or a member of their household, are disabled. Over the past six months, 77% of disabled people have gone without essentials – and in the last three months alone, 43% have been forced to skip meals just to cover other essential costs. This is not just unacceptable – it’s a moral failure.

I welcome several of the welfare reforms announced by the Secretary of State yesterday. The commitment of £1 billion a year for work health skills support, raising Universal Credit above inflation, introducing an Additional Premium for those with the most severe lifelong conditions, scrapping the Work Capability Assessment, and the new ‘Right to Try’ scheme – allowing disabled people to trial a job without risking their benefits – are positive steps in the right direction.

However, I have serious concerns with the proposed changes to Personal Independence Payments (PIP). These cuts could see between 800,000 and 1.2 million people lose between £4,000 and £6,000 a year – a devastating blow for many of my constituents who are already on the edge. Taking support away from those who need it most will push more people into poverty and deepen the already harsh realities faced by disabled people in Blackpool.

When you elected me as your MP, I made a promise: I will never vote for anything that makes people in Blackpool poorer – and some of these reforms could do exactly that.

Instead of targeting the most vulnerable, the government should be looking at fairer alternatives. A modest 2% tax on wealth over £10 million – affecting just the richest 0.04% of the British population – could raise £22 billion. This is the kind of reform we need – one that protects the vulnerable instead of punishing them.

I voiced some of my concerns to the Secretary of State yesterday and will be speaking to her at length about them soon.

Watch my question in Monday’s debate below.