Davey calls on Government to pull Welfare Bill before vote as “PM’s own backbenchers” can see the damage carers face

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Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has called on the Government to pull their controversial welfare reforms before a vote next week saying that “even the Prime Minister’s own backbenchers” can see the damage these reforms could do to unpaid family carers and those they look after.

Davey made the call as the Liberal Democrats have tabled their own Reasoned Amendment aimed at killing the Bill. It highlights the plight of unpaid family carers as a result of these cuts and instead urges the Government to fix the crisis in the NHS and social care, to get people off waiting lists and back into work to get the welfare bill down.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

“The Government needs to pull this Bill and go back to the drawing board. Even the Prime Minister’s own backbenchers can see the damage these cuts will do by leaving some of the most vulnerable without support and putting thousands of unpaid carers in impossible situations.

“The Conservatives made a complete mess of our welfare system, but the way to bring the benefits bill down is not through cutting support for disabled people and those who care for them. It is by tackling the crisis in our NHS and social care, to get millions of people off waiting lists and back to work.

“Family carers do tremendous work in often the most challenging of circumstances, taking huge pressures off our health services and helping loved ones. Taking support away from our nation’s carers is the worst kind of false economy.

“I hope the Prime Minister listens and pulls this Bill instead of cutting vital support from thousands of vulnerable people.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

Reporting on the Government’s impact assessments can be found here.

The text of the Liberal Democrat amendment (on the order paper here):

That this House, while acknowledging that the amount of money currently having to be spent on welfare is too high, declines to give a Second Reading to the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill because it does not introduce fair reforms to sustainably and effectively support more people into work; it makes it harder for disabled people who are already employed to remain in work, by cutting Personal Independence Payment, which covers help with essential daily tasks such as washing and preparing meals; because it withdraws support for people who are simply unable to work due to chronic health issues or disabilities; because it will remove Carers Allowance from 150,000 unpaid carers, whose tireless work supports some of the most vulnerable in society and fills the gaps of health and care systems; because cutting support for disabled people will worsen the cost pressures facing the NHS, social care and local government, likely resulting in a false economy; because it does nothing to tackle the root causes of the rising welfare bill, including chronic ill-health, young people’s mental ill-health and the crisis in the NHS and social care; because it comes at a time when disabled people’s income is being stretched by high energy, heating and food costs; and because according to the Government’s own impact assessment, it will lead to an additional 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, falling into poverty by 2029-30.