Bea Gardner, Socialist Party National Committee
Confronted by a rebellion of over 120 Labour MPs, Keir Starmer announced an 11th-hour partial U-turn on planned disability cuts. As the Socialist goes to press, the result of the 1 July vote in Parliament is not yet known.
The U-turn was no doubt a huge relief to the hundreds of thousands of current Personal Independent Payment (PIP) recipients, and up to 2 million who claim the health element of Universal Credit. Both groups were previously at risk of having their income slashed. The U-turn is worth an estimated £2.5 billion of support for those who need it.
However, the announced changes mean a cruel two-tier disability benefit system, whereby those who suffer injury, illness or disability in the future will not be eligible for the same level of financial support.
Our best defence to these attacks is standing together and taking a serious, organised fight to the government. They have already shown they will buckle under pressure. Last month they announced a partial retreat on winter fuel payment cuts. There are even rumours they may back down over the two-child benefit cap.
If a threatened rebellion of MPs can trigger this backpedalling, imagine the kind of pressure the trade union movement of over 6 million members could assert if it was seriously organised and mobilised against Labour cuts.
The string of unions passing motions calling for ‘welfare not warfare’ must now turn these words into action. The fight continues for a full overturn of all of Labour’s planned cuts, and for living benefits for all who need them, as part of a fully funded health system with publicly funded and democratically controlled care and services for all.
The Trades Union Congress in September will hear a motion calling for a union-led, weekend national demo against Labour austerity. Properly built for in workplaces and communities, that demo could be huge, such is the anger.
It could be used as the launchpad for future workers’ action, and would again pose the need for the trade unions to build a socialist opposition to Starmer’s Labour.
