The influential, Labour dominated Commons Work and Pensions committee (WPC) has written to the government calling for it to delay any changes to personal independence payment (PIP) eligibility and universal credit (UC) rates.
The WPC began an inquiry into the Pathways to Work Green Paper on 3 April, but has issued interim findings and recommendations because a Commons vote on some of the provisions is expected soon.
The WPC warns the government in its letter that the proposed changes “might not incentivise work, as the Government hopes, but rather push people deeper into poverty, worsen health, especially in more deprived areas, and move people further from the labour market, as evidence suggests has happened in the past with similar reforms.”
In its letter, the committee asks the government to: “delay any changes to PIP eligibility or UC rates, extend and expand the current consultation, and work to co-produce measures with disabled people and their organisations, reflecting the Government’s commitment on ‘nothing about me, without me’.
The letter goes on to recommend that the government: “take a ‘precautionary principle’ approach and immediately undertake an independent, comprehensive analysis of the impact of the proposed cuts in UC health support on employment, poverty and health outcomes.”
Finally, the committee urges the government to: “delay its plans to amend the eligibility criteria for the daily living component of PIP and engage disabled people and their organisations in order to coproduce proposals for a new PIP, as part of the PIP review. Most importantly, we need to guarantee that those who need PIP will not lose out. At that point, it should publish and properly consult on its proposals more widely.”
Liz Kendall has until Monday 2 June to respond to the letter.
Chair of the committee, Debbie Abrahams, told ITV news that there was expert evidence that cutting benefits could increase the risk of suicides.
The WPC is made up of 11 MPs: 7 Labour, 2 Conservative, 2 LibDem.
Moreover, as the Canary pointed out, four of the Labour MPs are members of the “Get Britain Working” group which actively supports benefit cuts.
In theory, this is a committee whose loyalty the government should be able to count on.
So, for it to express such strong concerns about the Green Paper will be a real blow for Labour, which is struggling to find anyone who is in favour of its proposals.
