Keir Starmer's welfare announcements are a step forward but still not enough, writes Labour MP Andy McDonald

I've had so many constituents utterly terrified by what was coming. There'll be great relief all around. It’s come hard up against the wire.

But my concern is that while this helps existing claimants, it won’t improve the lot of those yet to come.

When people fall ill or become disabled in future, they’ll be treated differently. Those currently receiving the UC health top-up and PIP will retain their entitlements, but future applicants will get a completely different program. We risk creating second-class welfare recipients.

Surely the measure of any civilised society is how it treats its sick and disabled—ensuring they can live with dignity through adequate support.

I fear that won’t be the case in years ahead.

And it’s not just me. Today, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said it remains very concerned about what the system will look like for people who fall ill or become disabled after next year’s changes.

The Trussell Trust described it as still “crushingly bleak” for future disabled claimants, with no assessment provided showing why that support will no longer be needed.

That people who develop conditions—like multiple sclerosis and other deteriorating illnesses—may not be treated as they would be today, worries me deeply.

The government has outlined broad changes, but they will have done detailed calculations on the savings and where they fall. They must publish that now.

Because this looks like poverty delayed—poverty postponed—for millions. PIP and the UC health element do not put people in the lap of luxury. Most are struggling. 8 in 10 low-income families receiving disability benefits go without essentials.

Other announcements last night—such as the PIP assessment review being co-designed with disabled people—should not be news. It shows these cuts were developed without consulting those affected. That was always wrong and is now being corrected.

Last night’s announcements were a step forward. But MPs must now consult with constituents, welfare advice agencies, and the services that work daily with disabled people. They must ask: who are those reliant on these payments today—and who, in future, will come to our advice surgeries because they’ve lost the support we took away?

That is who I’m thinking of, and why I’ll still be voting against.

Andy McDonald is the Labour MP for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East.

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