An update following the vote at Second Reading:
Since the government’s initial package of welfare reforms were announced, I have been consistent in my position that I could not support measures that risk pushing more vulnerable and disabled people into poverty.
That’s why the original bill put forward by the government was not acceptable, and it’s why I was one of the first MPs to put my name to the amendment that would have stopped the bill from becoming law. The initial concessions were a step in the right direction but did not go far enough. Heading into this week’s vote, I had concluded that I would still be unwilling to support these measures.
However the further last-minute commitments that MPs then secured from government immediately before the vote were significant and fundamental to the concerns that so many of you have expressed (especially the removal of the entire PIP-related clause of the bill). These commitments mean that:
- there will be no longer be any changes to Personal Independence Payments (PIP) ahead of a full review – carried out with disabled people’s organisations – that will report back next autumn. Everyone who currently gets PIP is protected. After the review, the government will then look again at how disabled people can be most effectively supported.
- co-production will be at the heart of this review, meaning that disabled people will rightly be given a genuine and meaningful role in shaping the future of the support that is so important to them, before any changes come into effect.
- existing recipients of the Universal Credit health element – and any new claimant meeting the severe conditions criteria – will have their support protected.
It was only after these commitments were made that I felt able to vote for the bill. A vote for the bill means that we can now move forward with the positive aspects of the government’s reforms, such as the necessary and long-overdue improvements to employment support that have been welcomed by disability campaigners and charities, while ensuring that support for the most vulnerable is protected.
My vote is not a blank cheque. There will be more votes in Parliament before this becomes law and I have made it clear to my Parliamentary colleagues and government ministers that I will only support if the significant commitments made are sufficiently and robustly enshrined in the amended bill when we have our next vote on it on 9th July.
Original post from Tuesday 24 June:
Since the government’s welfare reforms were announced, I have spoken to and heard from many people across my constituency who are very worried about the impact that some of the proposed changes to Personal Independence Payments (PIP) would have. I have also met with disability charities and carefully looked at the official impact assessments from the Department for Work and Pensions and Office for Budget Responsibility to try and fully understand what these changes might mean for some of the most vulnerable people in my constituency.
I have made the difficult decision that I cannot support these proposals as they stand, and together with more than 100 Labour MPs, I’ve co-signed an amendment that would stop them from becoming law. In doing so, I hope that aspects of the government’s plans will change.
I absolutely recognise the need to reform welfare, and I welcome key aspects of these proposals, such as the necessary and long-overdue improvements to employment support to achieve the government’s goal of helping more people who can work into suitable jobs.
However, the proposed changes to Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and Universal Credit will have a profound impact on disabled and vulnerable people in my constituency and will likely outweigh the positive aspects of the proposals. We simply don’t have enough data to show this risk of pushing more vulnerable people into poverty will be adequately offset by the positive impact of employment support programmes.
We have one chance to get this right. Disabled people and their carers in Southampton Itchen cannot afford for these reforms to be rushed.
I want to support this Labour government in its good intentions to make benefits fairer, support people to work, and stem the increasing cost to the taxpayer. I’ll continue to work constructively with colleagues in government ahead of next week’s vote. I hope that they will listen, step back, and work with Labour MPs to fix our welfare system for the future in a way that is compassionate and true to our values.