Over 100 people attend mass lobby of parliament

Details: Published: 23 May 2025

Disabled activists travelled from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to lobby their MPs over the Pathways to Work Green paper, the Disability News Service reports.

As many as 40 MPs held meetings with constituents, including former Conservative work and pensions secretary Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Daisy Cooper, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats; and former Green party leader Sian Berry.

But others did not turn up, including Ellie Reeves, chair of the Labour party and sister of chancellor Rachel Reeves. Housing minister Matthew Pennycook was another no-show.

According to Disability Rights UK, the lobby was organised by the Coalition Against Benefit Cuts, Disabled People Against Cuts, Disability Rights UK, Well Adapt, Inclusion London and SIC.

With over 100 people attending it was one of the largest lobbies by the disabled community in over a decade.

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gingin · 1 days ago
More wheeling and dealing around the child benefit cap to present themselves as having an ounce of humanity. Apparently, once disabled children grow into disabled adults they can be cast aside and left to survive on thin air.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/may/23/no-10-delays-child-poverty-plan-despite-tens-of-thousands-more-hardship
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Cathedral city · 1 days ago
Today Liz Kendall doubled down on the cuts and said she will not 'resile' despite opposition.
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  rtbcpart2 · 1 days ago
  
  @tintack 😯 I should have thought of that 😂
  
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  tintack · 1 days ago
  
  @SLB Further to my last comment: is the vote on the green paper or the white paper? I'm assuming it would not be on the white paper yet as the "consultation" on the green paper hasn't even finished yet. It's hard to see how they could produce a white paper for a vote when the green paper consulation is still ongoing. If the vote is on the white paper that's not great, but the fact remains that the WFA climbdown shows that a policy passing doesn't necessarily mean it will remain intact.
  
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  tintack · 1 days ago
  
  @SLB
  It would be great if the vote goes ahead and they lose it. That said, even if it passes, it will probably only do so with a significant Labour rebellion. It's important to remember that the vote, if it happens, will only be on the green paper. So if there is a big backbench rebellion, all will not be lost. The WFA cut was passed and they spent months saying they wouldn't back down......and now they're backing down.
  
  This is likely to be a long fight and I suspect a key date will be next May with the next round of local elections and the Scottish and Welsh elections. I think it is essential that Labour gets hammered at those elections by parties to its left. Kendall is currently saying the disability cuts have to go ahead in order to fight Reform, so she is explicitly saying that Labour losing votes to Reform is a justification for the cuts. That ought to be more than enough to dissuade anyone on here who is toying with voting Reform from doing so.
  
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  tintack · 1 days ago
  
  @rtbcpart2 That's a terrible slur against the wicked witch community.
  
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  SLB · 1 days ago
  
  @tintack My own personal prediction is that the introduction of the white paper will be delayed (it was already meant to have been in May), and then just before recess for the summer they announce a change of heart - hoping it will be forgotten over the summer months when there's little to no politics on TV.
  
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Ann · 1 days ago
Just shows what senior labour members think of the importance of these cuts to disabled people by not being bothered to turn up. This mass lobby was brilliant, it's showing the government that we won't lie down and be trampled on. Hopefully the tide is beginning to turn......
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tintack · 1 days ago
"But others did not turn up, including Ellie Reeves, chair of the Labour party and sister of chancellor Rachel Reeves."

How completely shocking and in no way predictable.
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CaroA · 1 days ago
Well done the protesters.....👏

Things just got personal......

Ive written a longer piece exploring how personal histories of our leaders and elite education may have shaped decades of brutal welfare policy. Please feel free to post elsewhere if you like.

https://cathoughtsdotblog.wordpress.com/
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  CaroA · 1 days ago
  
  @WorkshyLayabout Thanks for trying to view it earlier—just a quick update:
  
  The blog post is now fully public and working. If you got a “Coming Soon” message before, it was because the site was still set to private. That’s now fixed.
  
  You can read the full piece here:
  https://cathoughtsdotblog.wordpress.com/2025/05/23/privileged-but-unprocessed-how-elite-education-and-unacknowledged-loss-created-a-cruel-welfare-state
  
  If it still doesn’t load, try opening the link in a new browser tab or clearing the preview. It should work fine now. Thanks again!
  
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  CaroA · 1 days ago
  
  @WorkshyLayabout https://cathoughtsdotblog.wordpress.com/2025/05/23/privileged-but-unprocessed-how-elite-education-and-unacknowledged-loss-created-a-cruel-welfare-state
  
  Thank you.... Sorry but maybe this will get you there.
  
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  WorkshyLayabout · 1 days ago
  
  @CaroA Unfortunately CaroA, your link leads to a page that says in big letters, "A bright idea, coming soon", but none of your epic writings. Or are we meant to log in to view your post?
  
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  Cecelia · 1 days ago
  
  @CaroA They are used to being brutalised at private school, so perhaps think the disabled deserve some.
  
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Gingin · 1 days ago
I hope to join this demo tomorrow, it’s the only one that’s been remotely close to me. For more into see DPAC on FB. Please join if you can:

1pm Saturday 24th May 2025

Aneurin Bevan Statue, Queen Street, Cardiff

Partnered with Don’t Call Me Special and Cardiff People’s Assembly

Members of the newly formed Cardiff & Valleys Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) will be showing support on the day and letting people know about the 3rd June lobby of the Cardiff disability cuts consultation.
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  Gingin · 1 days ago
  
  @Gingin There’ll also be a demo outside the consultation In Cardiff on 3rd June (info on DPAC site) and as I’m attending that I’ll prob do the demo the same day instead of tomorrow. If anyone can come, please do add to the numbers on either or both dates!
  
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