Labour MP Andy McDonald: This is why Keir Starmer's welfare bill needed to change

It has been proposed to help the government meet its fiscal targets, but it does so through the cruel mechanism of forcing disabled people into poverty. Why should they be targeted when billionaires continue to enjoy lower rates of tax on their assets than ordinary people do on their pay?

I understand the problems with the welfare system and the need for welfare reform, but there is a need to redesign many of our public services, including health, social care, and local government. We must ensure the right support is in place if we are to reduce the welfare bill. What the Government's Welfare Green Paper said - and what this Bill does - is that the government will cut people's payments and then introduce employment support later on. That is the wrong way round.

This Bill will take nearly £4bn from those who rely on PIP, as well as nearly £3bn from those who rely on Universal Credit's health top-up. These are people who may need supervision to wash, assistance with getting in and out of a shower, and prompting to manage their toilet needs. Even with all these factors, they may no longer qualify for PIP and would lose £4500 a year on average.

It is not an out-of-work benefit, as some supporters of the Bill seem to think. I've heard people arguing people in receipt of PIP should be in work - but many of them already are. And many of them say it makes the difference in terms of helping them get to work and say they will be unable to work if they lose it. The Welfare Minister has stated that the Access to Work scheme, which assists people in travelling to work, has a severe backlog.

And while the investment in employment support sounds positive its impact is unproven. Some DWP Work Coach pilot projects reported that they improve employment prospects, but only marginally. New research this week suggests that parts of the country hardest hit by the PIP cuts have fewer job opportunities.

The Bill is being rushed to meet the Treasury's demands. And disabled people's groups are not being consulted. The DWP's consultation doesn't even ask them about the cuts; we're being asked to vote on them before they have completed the consultation process.

And that's why I am concerned that, having made the mistake of tabling this Bill, the government should not rush a quick-fix change that gets just enough MPs on board to squeeze it through next week. They should stop, take time out, and speak to disabled people's organisations to design the welfare reform that does help those into work who can and supports those who need it.

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

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