Reacting the Government’s Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill presented in Parliament today, Green MP for Brighton Pavilion Siân Berry said:
“With this Bill the Government is making a cruel, unnecessary and callous political choice. Recklessly pushing this Bill through parliament shows that ministers are still not listening to the millions of Disabled people who will be catastrophically affected by these reforms about how their daily lives really work.
“Disabled people already disproportionately struggle to get by and, by ripping away essential PIP support, ministers are aware they are actively pushing hundreds of thousands more households into poverty.
“The tiny tweaks made to these proposals will do nothing to quell the deep fears of Disabled people across the country or the growing rebellion on the Labour backbench. Now is the time for MPs to take a decisive moral stand and vote against this Bill’s second reading.
“This Government has shown it is willing to cater to the wealthy, I challenge it to do the same for those most in need. Scrap these dangerous plans, introduce a wealth tax, and build a social security system free from shame that supports everyone in our communities to live healthily, happily and free from fear.”
ENDS