Officials believe freezing PIP would require vote on primary legislation, but any climbdown could leave chancellor with fiscal hole. Liz Kendall set to announce around £6bn of cuts to UK benefits budget to MPs on Tuesday. - ThreadSky

pippacrerar.bsky.social • 76 days ago

Officials believe freezing PIP would require vote on primary legislation, but any climbdown could leave chancellor with fiscal hole.

Liz Kendall set to announce around £6bn of cuts to UK benefits budget to MPs on Tuesday.

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rembetis.bsky.social•72 days ago

You forgot to say Rachel Reeves fiscal rules are arbitrary and set by herself.
Liz Kendall is Margaret Thatcher reborn.
Both Kendall and Reeves belong in Reform. They are as much left wing as Farage.

labourrightwatch.bsky.social•71 days ago

How do you feel about that Guardian ad that has been running on every page of their website for weeks with your face next to Wes Streeting's?

pippacrerar.bsky.social•71 days ago

I'm interviewing him at the event, at which I'll be doing my job and asking him anything I want, so please do feel free to share any thoughts.

labourrightwatch.bsky.social•71 days ago

@carolinejmolloy.bsky.social Do you have any suggestions for questions that Pippa might ask Wes Streeting?

labourrightwatch.bsky.social•71 days ago

1. I have plenty. The waiting list for a first appointment for ME/CFS is a minimum of three years in some parts of the country. Waiting lists for an assessment for long Covid are also very long. Does Streeting plan to do anything about it?

labourrightwatch.bsky.social•71 days ago

2. Streeting bemoans the rise in people attempting to claim disbility benefits, but will he acknowledge that the factors increasing ill health are real, ie the fallout from the covid pandemic, the cost of living crisis, debt, precarious incomes, burnout and stress from toxic work environments? Is

labourrightwatch.bsky.social•71 days ago

3. the increase, at least to some extent, to be expected?
Streeting's donations from private health investors. He always dismisses the issue in some way, but those who have large investments in private health stand to gain a great deal from the private health sector's continuing increase in govt

labourrightwatch.bsky.social•71 days ago

4. contracts that Streeting is in control of; I'd like to see him acknowledge that fact. There's no way around it, and a willing journalist should be able to press him on it.
PFI: There was no mention of bringing back PFI or any PFI style scheme during the election. If Labour are going to use that

theanthonymark.bsky.social•76 days ago

The Chancellor should resign.

thechiller.bsky.social•76 days ago

This will kill a lot of people.

factory051.bsky.social•76 days ago

Staggering. Ppl are suffering whilst tax evasion is seen as a necessary evil.

sloanelysbeth.bsky.social•76 days ago

there is no such thing as a ‘fiscal hole’ in a fiat economy.

tracyh.bsky.social•76 days ago

Disabled adults who receive any kind of education, even if they need support to do so, are denied UC.

Only income to live on is PIP.
When did Labour become Tories?

thechiller.bsky.social•76 days ago

When Starmer took over.

tracyh.bsky.social•76 days ago

I am furious.
But the Lib Dem MP for Chelmsford, where I was born, I am so close to the border she should be my MP but sadly is not quite. She cares.
Is doing amazing work.

pippacrerar.bsky.social•76 days ago

Around £1bn expected to be ploughed into helping long-term sick back into work after welfare secretary faced down opposition from Treasury.

Govt source accused Reeves’ department of being “very short-sighted” over value of back-to-work schemes.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/mar/12/keir-starmer-could-face-biggest-rebellion-over-disability-benefit-freeze?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

fionasaveournhs.bsky.social•75 days ago

Firstly, we are not economically inactive. For most of us, the money we receive from the government goes straight back out to pay for the extra costs we have with utilities, foods, and if we are very lucky, put a little aside towards buying a wheelchair and other aids.
1

fionasaveournhs.bsky.social•75 days ago

We also get through furniture a lot faster than most. We are home 24/7, so things like sofas, chairs and beds wear out faster.
2

fionasaveournhs.bsky.social•75 days ago

As for not being a vote changer, I think it could well be.
Add together 15 million disabled people plus their families, their friends, and their families' friends. It could well be an election loser for them.
3

katevasey.bsky.social•74 days ago

Jesus Christ, can't these bastards even let us die in peace??

sibelian62.bsky.social•76 days ago

The naivety of Reeves & Starmer is amazing. "Back to Work Schemes" are bound to fail for many reasons. You can employ civil servants (not the ideal people to give job advice) as "Mentors" to help sick people back to work if you totally ignore the reality that some will never be fit for work.

sibelian62.bsky.social•76 days ago

Secondly civil servants cannot require employers to employ the disabled who want to & could work given suitable workplace adjustments. Most employers would choose a fully fit person instead as that costs nothing extra & are less likely to need time off work. Time Labour accepted the real world!

thechiller.bsky.social•76 days ago

They aren't naive. They know the "back to work" scheme will fail to get disabled people back into work, because employers don't buy into the idea.

So what this is, is a jaunty little bow on top of a scheme that will kill a LOT of disabled people. And they know it.

sibelian62.bsky.social•75 days ago

Indeed just a disgraceful PR effort to try to show they are tackling the fake "PIP Benefit Fraud" script that the Tories used. I was referring to the naivety of Government saying this scheme would work, they know it won't, & hoping some would believe it was a genuine policy to help the disabled.

cptbadger.bsky.social•76 days ago

It'll all go to private medical companies paid to look at those who aren't able to work and decide actually those months of horrible and intrusive assessments were pointless and you are actually fine to work, here, have this pdf on how exercise and eating your 5 a day will made it all better.

hotchkiss13.bsky.social•76 days ago

“Helping”?

phillowthian.bsky.social•76 days ago

Are there any back to work schemes currently? I don’t see a New Deal nor a Community Programme. Nor a Work Programme I don’t see a range of work prep options. Maybe they do exist but are at best marginal. Welfare to work policy needs a rapid and major overhaul

jayanne.bsky.social•75 days ago

Where/what are the suitable employment opportunities .
Warehousing , agriculture , food production , hospitality, caring , call centres, transport ?
Piece work at home ?

gnickod.bsky.social•76 days ago

“Could”.

evamontemaggi.bsky.social•76 days ago

There is no fiscal hole. It’s a really flawed concept. Stop using it. It only leads to bad policy.

teenig.bsky.social•76 days ago

Oh here we go. A billion to private companies who just happen to be donors, with huge incentives to cut benefits by any which means they choose.
Don't dress it up, it is what it is. Robbing the poor to stuff the pockets of the rich

theanthonymark.bsky.social•76 days ago

Robbing the poorest and most vulnerable to subsidise the wealthiest.
If you’re not making them money then you don’t count anymore.
Even got taxpayers subsidising the massive dividends being stolen away from water companies.

yinlock.bsky.social•76 days ago

"if you're not making us money then die" seems to be a Theme of modern liberalism as of late, given Canada and this

yinlock.bsky.social•76 days ago

I mean it's always been the case of course but they're really making a go of it recently

theanthonymark.bsky.social•75 days ago

In context, perhaps it’s reassuring that the French are taking the lead these days

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