Labour is delivering its sickening messages as fast as it can right now. The one that has its MPs most worried right now is the news that disability benefits are going to be subject to significant onslaughts, presumably to fund defence spending.
Starmer apparently said last night in defence of this plan, which will fall mainly on the vulnerable claimants of Personal Independence Payments (PIPs), the total payments of which are increasing significantly, saying, according to the Guardian, that the current system was “discouraging people from working”.
They added that he noted:
The numbers of young people out of work meant “a wasted generation”, with one in eight young people not in education, employment or training. “The people who really need that safety net [are] still not always getting the dignity they deserve.
“That's unsustainable, it's indefensible and it is unfair, people feel that in their bones,” he said. “It runs contrary to those deep British values that if you can work, you should. And if you want to work, the government should support you, not stop you.”
Starmer also said:
“This is the Labour party. We believe in the dignity of work and we believe in the dignity of every worker, which is why I am not afraid to take the big decisions needed to return this country to their interests whether that's on welfare, immigration, our public services or our public finances.”
Let me unpack that.
First, it emphasises what Labour has been saying of late, which is only working people matter. Unless you are a cog in the machine, Labour thinks you are unaffordable, a burden and a cost to be reduced. This is, of course, pure neoliberal thinking. Elon Musk would be proud of it. This is a policy of dehumanising those with disabilities, which those with PIPs have, because, as many tales told on this blog and elsewhere make clear, it is very hard to claim. From my own experience I know how hard it was for someone with Parkinson's to get it. Labour has not the slightest concern for such people. It is as if ministers have had an empathy bypass.
Second, if there are so many young people with disabilities, the role of Labour is not to berate them or to pretend that they are faking their situation. It is to ask why that is the case. In fact, this goes for the population as a whole. Could it be, for example, that well over four decades of ultra-processed foods might be the cause of this problem, and that we have a population that is being progressively poisoned by our food industry to the point that many simply are unable to work? The evidence for this is very strong, but Labour is in complete denial of it, both on the issue of benefits and in the NHS. The cost of that denial is reaching the point where action is demanded, but the required action is not to punish the victims, but is instead to ban the processes that are making people sick, even though they do happen to deliver considerable profit for the manufacturers of toxic foodstuffs.
Third, Labour was never about the dignity of work. It was set up to deal with the exploitation of the worker, and not to extol the virtue of work, come what may, even if it degraded and abused the person forced to undertake it. What Starmer is defending is the right of the employer to extract value from the person who they engage because that person is given no choice but to work through their suffering because Labour is planning to deny them the benefits that they need.
Once upon a time Labour stood up for people. Now it stands up for those who abuse them, ministers included. They really are charlatans who are a disgrace to their forebears in that party who would, I am quite sure, be ashamed of what these people are doing in the name of the political cause that once had pride, but now is the enemy of the vulnerable.
And, as I keep saying, none of this is necessary. The total cost of the benefits that Labour is so aggrieved about is £70 billion, which happens to be the exact cost of the subsidy to the savings of the wealthy that Labour is happy to provide to them each year without fuss being raised. £5 billion of that subsidy goes to ISAs and £65 billion to pensions. As I note in the Taxing Wealth Report (page 67):
In total tax and national insurance contribution relief on pension contributions by the highest [10 per cent of] earners in the UK are likely to amount to £38.6 billion per annum (£13 billion of national insurance and £25.6 billion of tax per annum). The remainder of the population enjoy a subsidy of £28.7 million between them. In other words, the wealthiest enjoy a subsidy of more than £8,750 per annum on average towards their pension savings each year and the rest of the population enjoy a subsidy of almost exactly £1,050 per annum each based on the number of taxpayers in 2020/21.
To put these figures in context, the basic universal credit allowance a year is £4,416 per annumin 2023/24 for a person over the age of 25 and the basic old age pension in that year is£10,600 per annum, or not much more than the subsidy given each year to increase the value of the pension of the top income earners in the country, on average.
If there is a group in society who need to forego their state benefits, it is the wealthy. Labour is choosing to make the poorest and most vulnerable do so. The question that needs to be asked is why that is the case.
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I can hardly believe that this is the party I’ve supported for most of my life – every last pronouncement disgusts me and every day it gets worse. The saddest thing is that I suspect the leadership doesn’t reflect the views of the majority of Labour supporters or representatives – certainly not of those I know. Where are their voices?? Few are being heard in the MSM….. when will the back benchers finally revolt?
The neo-fascist leadership has silenced the members. That’s what those completing a coup do.
If I may add – Kid Starver a Mango-mini-me? given that a pro-Palestinian chap with green card has been detained by the US forces of Mango cos Mango did not like what he said (Robert reich was writing about it ). Starver has 1st silenced the members of the political party that excreted him & now is going after the citizens – because one cannot have a narrative or PoV that differs from that of the dear leader.
I read the Reich article
I suggest he is now essential daily reading. I pay the sub, but much of what he writes is free.
From experience my comment might be that there are a lot of people who are not well enough to work but not sick enough to get treated.
There was a letter in the Guardian from someone who worked for the DHSS in the 1970’s & who talked about the Department providing ‘Personalised’ services for those who were not fit for work which addressed those individuals problems and identified suitable employment for them.
Now if we had services aimed at all those who were looking for work, or looking for better paid work aimed at supporting them into employment or job change and working with employers who provided decent working conditions and ignoring those that dont…………..
There would be a lot less unemployment because of all those people required to support people into employment!
Work to fit, not fit to work….
His bigotry and ignorance is writ large in equal measure. An award of Personal Independence Payment is not contingent on the qualifier working. It is completely separate. Many PIP recipients ARE working but may well not be able to continue to be if that additional help towards the costs of being differently able are not available.
Starmer is becoming a master in performative cruelty of those who are least able to fight back and are most easily maligned by his new pals in the Mail etc. That man has no basis in a Labour party.
I should have said that.
Thank you for highlighting that.
“The numbers of young people out of work meant “a wasted generation”
Shocking, so what does the gov plan to do to train em for work? (going to school just gives you the basics). Expand tech colleges or equivalent (budgets for that? Yes?)
“one in eight young people not in education, employment or training”
Why is that? Could it be that the Amazonian-shite-jobs that are on offer are not attractive? Or don’t pay enough? Or, could it be there is a lack of training?
Why is there a perpetual shortage of crafts people (& engineers) in the country? Could it be that companies are not very interested in training (cos it costs). What does the gov budget for education look like? Shrinking is it? Defence budget expanding – oh but hang on – where are all the skilled people needed to build high-tech weapons. Now go back to the beginning.
Competence. I have no doubt Sir Kid Starver was a competent barrister (he has proven himself to be a competent liar – but perhaps that’s part of being a barrister). But in terms of running the county – joined up thinking – results, he is as bad as the blonde buffoon, the lettuce and Sunak. They all were/are happy to meet with the rich & the hyper rich (Blackrock anybody?) and have their weak egos massaged and their heads patted like the neolibtard pets that they are (yes Rachel I’m talking about you).
& mobility payments? LINO as cruel as the Tories – just a different cruel – dressed up with the usual LINO whining and hand wringing and long faces. LINO, useless and crap – just like the last lot &.. what is worse – all as predicted.
Agreed and much to agree with
The undermining of the UK’s manufacturing base is the main cause of so many people being out of work. I remember the days when I could walk out of one job and straight into another – then Thatcher arrived. Since then, ALL successive governments, using various excuses, have continued to run down Britain’s manufacturing industries. Control of the masses is part of it and the present Labour government appear to intent on making full use of such draconian controls. If Labour continue in power, democracy will soon be a thing of the past in this country.
One possibility for the increase in disability claims, particularly amongst young adults, is after effects of COVID.
Most parents whose children were teenagers during lockdown will have seen the impact.
The mental health impact at a formative time appears to have been underestimated. Exam periods are stressful enough but they tried to navigate that while the world changed around them, while they couldn’t engage with friends as well, and with when less idea of what they’d move onto afterwards. Many lost family members, too.
A Tory government managed to find whatever money was needed to prop up the system for COVID (albeit to support companies rather than people, really). Labour is failing to find the same money to deal with the rest of the problem.
Mental Health has been under-supported generally, always. Arguably now we’re seeing a higher price from that.
Some.recognition that aside from long COVID concerns, many are suffering from a form of PTSD would help. Some of the disorders like FND they don’t have a physiological basis will be a result of that.
As adults we found the period scary enough, but need to also understand how the impact on others, and remember some had more trauma or stresses combined with it.
Acceoted, and agreed.
But remember, the whole of the government is in Covid denial.
After a very nasty bout of pneumonia in 2002, I later contracted CFS/ME. I ended up bedbound for most of the time. Every little bit of movement caused me tremendous pain that only Fentanyl could diminish (Not stop completely) The fatigue is beyond belief and only when it slightly loosens its grip can I crawl out of bed. The medical profession aren’t interested and when I tried to apply for benefit I was met with, “As your illness is of a variable nature, if you are awarded benefit but then be seen out of your home this could be deemed a false claim and your benefit removed” I’m now bedridden again and can’t get any help from anywhere. All that was under the last Tory government, and if Labour now have their way, I may as well seek euthanasia.
I am so sorry, Richard.
This government is a joke isn’t it? Not a funny joke either. I wonder how many of the 9.7 million people who voted Labour at the 2024 election still believe they got what they wanted? Maybe they should complain to the Advertising Standards Authority over blatant misselling. They were swindled into believing the Labour Party offered hope, but all they’re getting is a kicking. As for the few remaining Labour Party members – surely they will now realise that they are throwing good money after bad by continuing to pay their membership dues?
One other simple point is that while we have an ageing population that will reduce the available workforce, developments in AI and automation are expected to reduce the number of jobs available overall.
If our pending problem is not enough jobs rather than not enough workers, then there’s literally no point in trying to force everyone who’s not working into jobs because there simple won’t be the jobs for them to go into.
A key risk, then, is of concentration of wealth and the risk of leaving those without work (through disability or any other reason) destitute. From that perspective the Labour government are pushing in entirely the wrong direction.
Good point
The real elephant in the room is that none of this was in the labour manifesto not even the stealth taxes or the attack on the disabled and sick
An off the cuff and almost certainly not comprehensive listing of reasons might include the rise of upfs, COVID, negative effects of social media, air pollution, bullshit jobs, existential fear of climate change, education policy which marginalises Humanities….All things I didn’t have to deal with in the seventies. Although of course, it might be nothing to do with any of that, and they are all just snowflakes….
The bit that is missing for me here is who is going to employ these returners?
I have no doubt that there are people who CAN work, but not consistently…. They have flare-ups which render them incapable of working – and usually at short notice.
These days few employers have any slack in their staffing.
How many will take on people who are likely to be absent unpredictably?
I agree with you.
Employing people who can only turn up sporadically – through no fault of their own – is hard, especially in smaller businesses, bit also in things ike classroom settings, where my friend who has Parkinson’s worked. She relied so heavily on others that in the end her work was not possible, and nor was theirs.
Good morning Richard,
As always an excellent piece of writing. I just wanted to add my own comments to the subject.
It’s difficult to express the profound disappointment one feels with this Labour Party. Or should I say LINO Party. Starmer, Reeves, Kendall, Streeting et al really wouldn’t look out of place in The Conservative Party.
The rhetoric they are using is appalling. It is no way to characterise the most vulnerable people in our society. Everyone matters or should do and should not be seen solely as economic units.
As an aside quiet how ‘Free Gear’ Keir has the gall to come out with what he does is beyond me. I’m really not sure how many of our MPs really understand the problems that this countries people really experience.
Keep up the good work and thank you.
Many thanks KAS
Some observations…
Not at all surprised, not even shocked, but still disgusted.
Delighted to hear that Labour believes in the dignity of work. Presumably they are marching into Amazon “fulfilment centres” right now to implement that? Yeah.
Covid is certainly an issue. I’ve posted before about a close neighbour whose middle aged daughter has life-threatening long-covid complications, had to pay for brain surgery, has since has had (NHS) heart surgery, is still very unwell with long term life-changing complications, and only got PIP after the usual tortuous appeal process. She was a care worker, married with children.
https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/dwp-now-more-likely-to-give-in-before-an-appeal-hearing
No doubt Liz Kendall wants her back at work immediately. Or in a coffin.
As for the young people with mental health issues, clearly nothing to do with the collapse in CAMHS services over the last decade or the closure of so many youth clubs or withdrawal of youth services? Many youth facilities run by churches and 3rd sector have closed due to lack of funding and volunteers, which partly filled the gap caused by the withdrawal of the state.
The seeds of this were sown years ago. It was really bad in 2015+/- and it’s got steadily worse, and Labour are making it even worse, but don’t be surprised. I’m not. It’s what Liz Kendall sees as her life’s mission.
There are rumours of discontent amongst Labour MPs but I won’t believe it unless at least 50-60 of them show it by voting AGAINST the whip publicly.
Then Starmer can expel them and there can be some new political thinking inside parliament to counter neoliberal hegemony.
Did we have a change of government recently? Of course not!
Thanks
PIP was introduced in the welfare reform act of 2012. The prime minister at the time was David Cameron the bill was introduced by Iain Duncan Smith.
It speaks volumes about this Labour Government.
But PIP itself was introduced as a replacement for its predecessor DLA – Disability Living Allowance which itself was a ‘tidying up’ in 1993 of two legacy, non means tested, payments – mobility allowance and attendance allowance. Of course as with all these improvements and simplification the actual objective was to lower individual entitlements and reduce eligibility. That always seems to have an amount of success. What’s happened now of course is that the volume of citizens who are sicker has exploded and so more people qualify.
If the govt bothered to focus on the 7 million waiting list for real NHS treatment, they might find that miraculously the numbers claiming PIP could genuinely fall.
It doesn’t make any economic sense. Every penny spent on the unemployed, low earners, and the vulnerable returns to the economy. They don’t, and mostly can’t save. Performative cruelty may be one point, but perhaps abandoning them to the markets is another. As a group, they are worth a lot of money to exploitative capitalism and are least able to choose and defend themselves from predation.
Additionally, looking after the vulnerable is not just about them, but the people around them. My severely disabled brother could have prevented both my parents from being able to work without help from the State, and my father’s subsequent economic activity has more than paid back the State support my brother received as a result. It’s as if the government is looking at the world through a lens that reverses everything they see. You have to see the funny side though, or go mad with it all. Despite my brother’s severe disability, he is still subject to periodic assessments for fitness to work, just on the odd chance a miracle has occurred and the government is off the hook. We offer him to the assessors as a potential speed bump or a paperweight. If things continue this way, they may take us up on the offer.
You have to smile
Thank you, Richard.
One can detect Reeves, some, but not all, of the brains behind Starmer, behind this cruelty, as per https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/anger-after-reeves-tells-benefit-claimants-labour-is-not-for-you/. Reeves said similar around 2010, but after a safe seat was fixed for her by influential connections and as she promoted austerity, hoping to curry favour with Alastair Darling and Ed Balls and get fast tracked up the Labour ranks. Liz Kendall, whose partner is a City financier and lives in a posh part of town, is similar.
It’s interesting how New Labour attracted so many people devoid of empathy for those less fortunate. They feel that they have to show that off, too. A friend and former colleague, a City solicitor and socialist, was scathing about these types, especially after two Labour in the City events about 10 years ago.
A great deal to agree with.
Let’s not forget, that at the same time as they are cutting support for disabilities, they’re pushing through assisted dying (to be a privately run service) without proper safeguards. This is the sort of sadism you’d expect from a Bond villan.
I remember this NTNON sketch, it looks quaint compared to what government now does to the vulnerable:
https://youtu.be/BI7fudmO7FY?si=GOPMyZQHbP5HOR54
I do not think the two are unrelated.
Exactly!
This is the faith of the true capitalist, that death is the fitting punishment for the greatest of crimes (according to them), being ‘economically inactive’.
My moles in LINO sent me this – you have been warned:…………
Dear Voter,
this Labour government is committed to addressing the epidemic of suicides amongst young people that is sweeping through the poor areas of this country. We know that austerity has caused many people, both young and old, to feel that they have no future and that life is often “just not worth living”. We are committed to not doing anything about austerity but we can “help you on your way” – painlessly and safely.
Some countries such as Belgium have introduced legislation that make euthanasia legal. This Labour government is doing the same and indeed is going further.
Labour is committed to making euthanasia available on the NHS and will build large numbers of clinics called “safe departure clinics” where people will be able to go and, with the minimum of fuss, die. We know that many deprived areas are suffering greatly and so it is the intention of the Labour government to give priority to building safe departure clinics in these areas. Sir Keir Starmer said “this proposal is humane and has my full backing, it shows that when people have problems, Labours have solutions, in this case a final one – no longer will young people without hope have to die a miserable lonely death, instead they can die in clean, bright surroundings and do so at absolutely no cost”.
Wes Streeting the health minister said that the measure was proportionate and was a good response to poor peoples’ needs. Mr Streeting noted that priority would be given to areas containing large amounts of social housing where government statistics suggest that the need for a “safe departure” was greatest. Counselling will be given to those wanting to die with the aim of addressing their fears about pain. Sir Starmer “Labour are great humanists and this proposal is in the great traditions of the Labour party, addressing the real needs of hard working people who need a break, in this case, a permanent one”.
(& for the avoidance of doubt – it is a spoof – I used it in the 2019 election against the Tories – couple of name changes & ta-da – LINO & very much in keeping with the current LINO zeit geist).
I wish I thought it appropriate to delete this – but I do not any more.
How long before Labour is talking about Soylent Green!!?
Mike
Very good
Ian Hislop could do with you on Private Eye.
I did wonder ref taste – but we live in desparate times – in the 2019 election I plastered a nice Tory market town centre with poster versions (trust me – the two pictures I used were wre not nice) @ 0600hrs. Oddly, the council workers I gave them to liked them. The poster plastering on street furniture made the local news.
Neil Asher wrote the Sci-Fi novel “Departure” & it portrayed a nightmareish future and indeed, “Safe Departure” clinics were a feature (plus all sorts of other nasty stuff). I fear that fiction and reality are colliding. Young people (30 year olds) ask me “did you have lots of monitoring etc when you were young” – I fail utterly to try and describe the society I was raised in.
I am giving a talk tomorrow on 50 years in accounting.
It’s hard to recall how different the world was back then.
As you mention PIP it would be worth clarifying that PIP is a non means tested benefit based on the additional costs being disabled incurs and is available to people in or out of work. The benefits that depend on employment status are ESA and universal credit. All are under attack and cutting them will not magically remove impairments/conditions, it will simply mean the already majority of foodbank users who are disabled swelling in size and a great number of deaths. If you wish to know more the book The Department by journalist John Pring of Disability News Service
https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745349893/the-department/
reveals the decades long role of politicians and civil servants in bringing us to this terrible state of affairs and the many deaths already caused. Ben Geiger also has done good work on exposing the flaws in how the OBR data is being misused and that disabled people reliant on benefits have many times greater mental distress than the general population, which the government are trying to dismiss as imaginary, which is an unforgivable act of gaslighting.
Thanks
You are absolutely right – the perversion of the idea of supporting working people – inferring that those who do not work do so from some form of choice, or are less worthy – is a sickening thing to hear from the Labour Party.
I did not vote for any of them ,and my conviction in not doing so is proven and validated more and more everyday.
Giving power to people over me who disregard me and my needs and the needs of others is not a sensible thing to do. I have no illusions about this at all. Democracy has stopped – at least for me.
The marality posturing of Starmer and his government is succinctly outlined in this excellent article by Frances Ryan in the guardian-
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/mar/10/disabled-people-labour-benefits-system?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
Agreed
Thank you, Richard.
Not unrelated, for which I will explain.
Naked Capitalism has just published https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2025/03/blackrocks-takeover-of-panama-canal-is-another-victory-for-trumps-americas-first-policy.html. This link, https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/09/27/readout-of-2024-partnership-for-global-infrastructure-and-investment-pgi-investor-forum/, caught my attention. Why? Some of the private sector participants are involved with the government’s measures to reboot, really privatise, the UK. This is why I don’t think the government will align with the EU in opposition to Trump / the US. In any case, this engagement predates Trump’s election.
With regard to the cruelty, I reckon that ministers want to show off how tough they are to that US audience and its cheerleaders, partly in expectation of needing their money after the 2029 election.
I think you are right
A video, may be coming…
I remember being appalled by the guff about welfare that Kendall was coming out with back in 2015, when she was running for leadership of the Labour Party. I wondered then how you could claim to be a Labour politician when trying to out-Tory the Tories, yet I didn’t expect that we would reach a situation where absolutely the whole flipping leadership of the party would espouse such views!
Since LINO got into power last year, the only surprise to me is that they have taken so long to start attacking this particular voiceless group. You can guarantee they will send hundreds of thousands (at least) of the poorest into further poverty with their methods of ‘fixing’ the Welfare system. Not only are they mean-spirited and cynical, they are utterly inept and I’m afraid that really can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel, which is very depressing.
To be noice, Kendall is a nasty piece of work.
As has been said elsewhere this is performative cruelty carried out with glee as yet another ‘sacred cow’ is slaughtered. Starmer and his faction no doubt consider this to be clever and politically astute. I think they are killing Labour’s electoral base with each of these moves and are unlikely to make inroads into the socially conservative electorate to compensate. If the PLP don’t wake up to this soon they will pay a heavy price at the next General Election.
[…] By Richard Murphy, Professor of Accounting Practice at Sheffield University Management School and a director of the Corporate Accountability Network. Originally published at Funding the Future […]
We could all just be one step away from needing help and support due to an illness or mental health. Back in Glasgow one forward thinking Doctors Practice employed a Social worker who had experience in Mental Health and also with the benefits system. Doctors made referrals to him which in turn signposted people to the appropriate help required, bereavement, cost of living, long term illness, losing a job, break down of relationships, mental health and these were followed through with the resource available. Although I’m sure it wasn’t perfect, Doctors realised that addressing many of the Social problems helped with some peoples mental health and wellbeing, helping to take away some of the stress of a long illness etc. Your money or your life….What about if the Government spent money as if lives really mattered? Its very easy to categorise everyone but each one of us has our own individual story and from what I am reading each individual story will not be heard at least not with empathy.
Those doctors were right
I wonder how they funded it?
I’m not sure, I was not a patient of the practice but knew the Social worker.
The problem with benefits is that we now have a subsection of society for whom this is a lifestyle. There’s all sorts of incentives that lead to this:-
Doctors will write you a sicknote just to get you out the door quickly
Job Centres? It’s just a bureaucracy
You get a house, which is barely affordable to the working poor
Have some kids? The NHS will look after them as well as if you work
And that subsection of society figures out what works, how to claim. Depression? Show me a reliable diagnosis. It’s not like losing a hand which is obvious. Anyone can say they’re suffering from depression.
You do know that every single word of that is complete and utter nonsense, don’t you?
Who told you this nonsense?
You should be really angry with them.
And if you really think depression does not exist you’re a fool.
@Peter
You aren’t writing from direct experience are you?
You aren’t even writing from 2nd hand testimony are you?
Provide some verifiable checkable evidence for each and every one of those ridiculous claims.
Or expect to get heavily criticised (or even better – ignored).
“”Doctors will write you a sicknote just to get you out the door quickly”
“SICKnote?” You ARE out of date.
https://www.gov.uk/taking-sick-leave
“Job Centres? It’s just a bureaucracy”
I’ve no idea what this comment means. But then neither do you. When did you last have to visit one?
“You get a house, which is barely affordable to the working poor”
I fell off my chair reading that one. I have painful up to date experience on that one.
https://www.gov.uk/taking-sick-leave
Have some kids? The NHS will look after them as well as if you work
You are trolling aren’t you. This is such a meaningless comment.
You clearly haven’t studied the finances of work and child care recently or tried to find any.
https://www.gov.uk/check-eligible-free-childcare-if-youre-working
Thanks
The “dignity of work”- what a hollow phrase. Young people are herded into low-paying, meaningless, insecure jobs so that the machine can keep running. Do you want to experience the demoralising interview process, zero-hour contracts, wages barely covering life expenses, and burnout from work-related stress? Don’t worry; the government has your back! We are here here for you, to make sure you get the “dignity” you deserve, because our real jobs is to preserve the “deep British values” of letting the small minority to suck the life of the rest of the society?
Thank you, Mr Starrmer, for your unwavering support! (Not)
Maybe the government are expecting civil unrest over this , or similar types, of policy
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/mar/09/moj-readies-extra-prison-places-in-case-summer-riots-happen-again?
This is remarkable, isn’t it.
On the one hand, Pat McFadden announces that the senior civil servants are going on to performance management and performance -related pay, in order to “streamline, make more efficient and effective”, to overcome a sense of “managed decline”, and on the other hand, this, which is totally of a piece with the “managing decline” ethos.
One could not make it up.
But as we now have government-by-making-it-up, what else can we expect?
What worries me is that the BS written by whoever ‘peter’ is will form a media splurge primed by this excuse of a government, leading to FURTHER physical attacks on disabled people. My local Labour councillors are involved in services to the local poor and disabled, indeed two are significantly disabled. There is a complete disjunct between their demonstrated concern and the national party, yet a massive dissonance and silence. They know they have no influence anymore, that some powerful members are complicit in this loss of internal democracy and are pals of the ‘growth’ bastards like Lord Walney, G S Josan, Akehurst, Athwal etc.
Much to agree with
I would like to feel surprised at a Labour Party turning on the vulnerable and giving the wealth a free pass but it has been the same since I started to vote over fifty five years ago. They go looking for the so called scroungers yet let off the spivs. It contrasts well with the den of thieves that is the House of Lords (https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/mar/11/silent-minority-15-peers-claimed-not-speaking-lords-debate). Clearing out this Parcel of Rouges will not only clean up politics but provide real “change” in more ways than one.
Peter
You really need to get a grip on reality just pause and think about what you believe to be true.
Basic universal benefit for a young person is a few pence over £10 a day and you see that as a lifestyle choice.. Really??
Well they are really going to be living it up on that aren’t they…see Peter just pause and think about what you believe to be true.
“Doctors will write you a sicknote just to get you out the door quickly”
Citation please.. do you even know what a Citation is??
“You get a house”
Amazing in a country with the worst housing crises since the 1940’s
You can just rock up say you’re unemployed and “you get a house”
Just think about that for two seconds
Rough sleeping has increased by 20% over the last ten years
Nearly 5,000 people sleep on the streets every night in the UK
Blimey Peter You need to let those people know they only have to say they are unemployed and “they get a house”
Jesus mate you should be embarrassed by such stupidity.
Thanks Patthepubkican, I have no need to respond to Peter other than to agree with what you’ve written.
if the Labour Party really was interested in promoting the “dignity of labour” they would abolish insecure work (zero hours contract etc) which is very undignified and which corral one in 5 workers. Delivery workers have to scramble to outdo each other to grab the pieces of work as they are tossed out for take up- reminiscent of the old docker system where large groups of workers would scramble for pieces of work every morning down on the docks.
I am autistic adhd and dyslexic, I work for a large retail supermarket for 12 hours, every week I have a meltdown and panic attacks due to the harassment derogatory behaviour of the management team and being treated less than human. I have a iq of 120 been denied many a job due to employers attitudes to me being a middle 30s autistic who have a neuro difference that operates counter to a neurotypical female. I have seen clearly how I am a threat to management because I have a brain yet I am to be treated like a turd.
I need to work more hours yet where are the jobs there are non and I have been trying to look for over a year. I do not work well in the service industry and all that I have applied for I have been told I am not qualified for. Even tried for a level 2 admin told I was over qualified, tried a level 3 admin told I was under qualified and needed experience. I thought that was the point of an apprentice!!!
I need pip I would have got the old disability payment circa 2010 but in this new system I function too well. I should have employment support allowance but now that’s wrapped up in universal credit not only has that gone I can’t get it because I would need to prove to the dwp I am looking for work but my autism I work best part time and I would then need : be told by the dwp to go onto employment support allowance and go through that torture assement only to be told I function to well and I have to instead work full time. In which there are no jobs annd what there is Hellish for me and so I would have to work full time, so I would mentally and physically burn out within a month. Then Need mental therapy and physical therapy for several months, apply for PIP and limited capability for work only to be told after another routine assessment I don’t meet the criteria and back ingo into the machine and do it all over again. Add infininitum.
It is just so S@@t the degradation the deformation humiliation that is experienced every single day it wears you down errodes your soul your very being and the surposed saviours being labour they have become the devil, and I never would have thought I say that.
The disabled community is the most generous human gifted beautiful wonderful beings filled with love hope and untapped potential. Why and what have we done to deserve this level of persecution that even the naffin UN says is inconceivable.
Look to the Victorian’s the stuff the illegitimate and disabled and rejected people of society, look at what they achieved (Alexander Mitchell (1780-1868) as example) what are we missing out on and what could be fixed by leaving us the disabled community to live in peace and live in something other that deep destitution poverty the vilified pawns in this dictatorship of a joke of government.
I am so sorry to hear your story. Thank you for sharing it. Go well, is the best I can say, and I hope you find the support you need.
Hello Richard , My Brain is enveloped in the World of PTSD . I joined the British Army in my early 20’s and was posted to Osnabruck during the last Cold War in the 80’s , without going into detail i had some bad experiences . I knew something was not right and i have since learnt that Trauma can come back to haunt you later on in life . A friend my mine suggested trying for PIPs and recently after a consultation with them , i now receive a monthly payment which has meant i could reduce my hours at work and get some help from the Veterans Service . I was told by the Occupational Health nurse at work that i should be ” proud of myself for coming to work while i manage my condition “. The nicest thing anyone has ever said to me ….
The irony now is that the Labour Government think many people like me and other people far worse off , are now a burden . I served for 8 years and this help from PIPs in the last few years before i retire has been a massive help. We should remember that there is a story behind most and i would hazard a guess that is the case with the majority of Claiments.
Thanks for sharing your story, Simon. Doing so helps everyone understand more.
We recently had the PIP removed for our eldest son who is autistic so appealed against it and sent a long letter to DWP outlining why it should not have been stopped. They initially replied rejecting that. Basically, they had not even looked at the letter – at least, they made no reference to it. So, we initiated the tribunal process which was time consuming. We heard nothing from DWP once this had been done despite them being chased by the tribunal services. Eventually, a manager from DWP contacted us to say that after ‘further review’ the PIP would be reinstated and backdated to when it was first stopped. All of this took time and effort and caused considerable stress to all of us not least our son. As a final point, the DWP manager had the audacity to say that, maybe, by the time of the next review in 5 years time that things would be better. An unbelievable level of ignorance
This proposal is absolutely disgusting and the Govt should be ashamed of itself. Going after the most vulnerable to save a bit of money. As a country, we should be proud to say that if you have physical health problems, mental health problems, are neurodivergence and need to help with that, you lose your job or struggle to find a job or anything else that negatively impacts on your life that the state will look after you and ensure you have a decent, dignified and as fulfilling a life as possible.
One final thing. I was listening to the local radio station and caught the end of them discussing this. I had to switch off after just a few minutes otherwise we may have needed to buy a new radio (yes, we do have a radio). The majority of the comments portrayed those claiming benefits as skivers who game the system – sadly, the demonisation of those on benefits by the media is firmly lodged in the minds of a significant number of people. They may be a minority but they are a vocal minority. One comment even said that the DWP/Govt made it difficult for genuine claimants and easy for non-genuine claimants to claim. The DJ/presenter did not push back and ask for evidence of this or even how the DWP would know if someone was genuine or non-genuine before they claim. They even backed them up by saying that there were ‘professional claimers’ who know exactly what to do. Granted, I did not hear all of the item so there may have been those with a different opinion commenting.
Our experience of the system is that it is not easy, it is difficult, it is stressful and it takes time and effort. I believe, but cannot prove it, that rejections are done solely on the basis of saving money with the hope that claimants give up.
As I said above, it is absolutely disgusting.
Craig
Your experience is that of my friends and extended family. I have real experience of this too.
I do wonder what those making these false accusatiokns think. I bet they know someone on PIP. If not they’re going to. Why do they loathe them so much that they lie through their back teeth about what is really going on?
And yes, some DWQP mamagers are so badly traimed that they think that things like autism go away.
The volume of responses on this blog alone shows how seriously this action is likely to affect large numbers of people.
In my case, my daughter (in her 40s) suffers from MS. She manages it very well, living alone in her own house, and working from home most of the time, but with occasional days in the office. However, she depends on PIP, in particular to cover the cost of taxis which she needs to use to travel anywhere. She walks, but with difficulty with a stick, so buses are not practical. Her condition will also only get worse in future. Given that PIP appears to be a major target, for her to lose them would be a major setback. The worst case is that a reduction in support could actually prevent her working, which would be self-defeating. So much for prioritising “working” people.
These kinds of penny pinching cuts are never productive in the long term. Rational and fair levels of tax on high earners should be the priority.
Thanks for sharing.
I hope all goes well for you, and your daughter.
Maybe, Peter, or anyone else who believes it’s easy to get a PIP award should see the percentage of people who successfully get it for the various conditions listed. For many it is less than 50% who do. Many on appeal do get it. But this can take a long time to wait to get to the tribunal. Meantime the stress felt during this time is enormous; and lack of money – that is not much anyway – when out of it comes payment for the genuine support these people need. Often needing to rely upon friends to help when there is no PIP to pay anyone.
Anyway, here are the conditions listed and the stats PIP awards by condition:
https://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/personal-independence-payment-pip/pip-awards-by-condition
I have over 20 years of experience working in the software industry. If AI is eliminating the type of job I do at such a rapid pace, and I’m struggling to find work despite sending out an average of 10 applications daily, would Keir Starmer consider me a scrounger?
‘Benefits system unsustainable, indefensible, and unfair,’ Keir Starmer tells Labour MPs.
He should be telling all MPs this:
‘The MPs’ expenses system is unsustainable, indefensible, and unfair.’ He should also be saying: ‘We must tax the greedy wealthy and crack down on those who evade taxes through offshore tax havens. This way, we can generate the funds needed to invest in public services.’
AI is, oddly, not on their radar.
The real world is beyond their understanding.
I want to show what happens to the money the government is trying to extract from those poor people.
Currently the government gives poor benefit say 10 billion. The poor people will spend it into the economy and the 10 billion be taxed back. They are poor so they will not save any money, which would take some of the money out of the economy.
So assume the government cuts the benefit to 5 Billion. The government rub their hands with glee we have saves 5 billion, but the government will only get 5 billion back in taxes. No extra money for war.
The only thing that has happened is the the GDP has gone down by 5 billion and of course the government will have to spend money burring the poor who have starved to death.
Sorry I am a bit depressed at the moment. I will have to read a good book.
Good luck with addressing that depression, Ben. Be kind in yourself.
Hi Richard,
Scary times for disabled people. And what’s more a scary time for anyone who’s not wealthy or politically connected.
What I want to know is who is going to lead the fightback? Where are the voices of the leaders? Who will organise and lead us into revolution against the politicos and their masters?
I’m tired of waiting for leaders to lead us to a fair and just society.
I don’t know
I very much doubt it’s me
Richard, good blog. If I recall correctly Liz Kendall was going on about Welfare before the Trump shenanigans of late so to me Defence extra spend is just an excuse. However as a believer in the value of universal benefits I see the arguments sometimes in terms of ensuring we all regardless of income benefit from the state otherwise I fear if those on those things we call welfare are targeted while those on other kinds of benefits/ exemptions are not we just end up with large sections of of the population believing welfare benefits can be tiny and subjected to mean testing etc. To me this can’t be a desired outcome surely we want everyone to see the value of govt and welfare from cradle to grave. Nieve? I know.
This Labour Party is not fit for purpose. They should rename themselves because they’ve strayed so far from any version of the Labour Party that has ever existed. They’re going to continue down this path, but if we focus on the last five years, they are saying they need to find money; they need to generate revenue and create ways to invest and grow the economy—all that kind of stuff. But ultimately, five years ago, The Tory government pumped over half a trillion pounds into the economy in response to COVID, and we know where all that money ended up: in the pockets of the rich. It’s time for them to pay up, and Labour simply doesn’t have the courage—whether you call it guts, backbone, or anything else—to go after these people because they’re scared of them. Instead, they’re targeting the poorest and most vulnerable in society. Instead of going after where the real money is, they’ve used our tax system to funnel money back into the private sector, which has ultimately ended up in the pockets of the rich at an exponential rate. This has been one of the biggest transfers of wealth we’ve ever seen in such a short period of time. Yet, the only place they’re willing to claim they’ll get the money from is the poorest and most vulnerable in society. It’s disgusting, and it should no longer surprises us, it is expected.