Labour Welfare Cuts are Damaging and Dangerous

Following news that the UK Chancellor intended to introduce welfare reforms, I secured a debate on the 6th of March in the Scottish Parliament to highlight how damaging and dangerous these decisions could be.

At the time, Scottish Labour MSPs in the Chamber dared to say my debate was premature and pointless.

Only weeks later, the Chancellor confirmed plans to cut several billions from the welfare budget. This includes harsh cuts to disability benefits, like Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which will impact Scotland.

Labour promised a change of direction, but we now have a Labour Party that seems intent on pushing disabled people, children and pensioners further into poverty.

The biggest lie of any election campaign is the one from Anas Sarwar in June 2024; “read my lips - no austerity under Labour.” What we are seeing now is just austerity 2.0.

These benefit cuts will tighten the eligibility criteria for PIP from November 2026, resulting in reduced payments for many.

Although in Scotland, thanks to the SNP, the benefit has been replaced by Adult Disability Payment (ADP), a spending reduction on PIP will have a severe impact on the Scottish Government's budget.

These cuts are inhumane and cruel. This has been recognised by leading disability charities like Scope, who have described them as “catastrophic”.

First it was Labour keeping the two-child cap, then removing the winter fuel payment, abandoning WASPI women, and now targeting disabled people. Children, the elderly, the disabled and low-income families have been left out in the cold by the Labour Party.

As your SNP MSP, I have been vocal in calling out the Labour Party on all these decisions. I firmly stand with our WASPI women, and I am proud that the SNP Scottish Government will scrap the two-child cap and ensure that pensioners receive a heating payment this winter.

Labour’s decision to cut benefits from the most vulnerable is a truly abhorrent decision that will have real consequences. I know so many of my constituents are extremely worried by this, so I want to reassure you that my colleagues and I in the SNP will continue to call for a reversal of this decision at any opportunity.

While Anas Sarwar and Scottish Labour MPs remain silent on this matter, I and my colleagues in the SNP will stand up for the most vulnerable in our society.

If you are concerned about this decision and don’t know who to reach out to for support, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me. I am on your side, and I will do my best to support you, or signpost you to those who can help.

Image description: Text reads "Labour Then" with a screenshot of a tweet by Liz Kendall promoting a petition to the Tory Government opposing disability benefit cuts. Text below read "Labour Now" with a Huffington post headline from 18/03/25 reading "Liz Kendall slammed over 'simply indefensible' £5billion cuts to disability benefits"