The SNP has said “it’s now clear the Labour Party’s austerity cuts to disabled people will hurt the most vulnerable in society, push thousands of families into poverty and slash the Scottish Government’s budget” – after the UK government’s own impact assessment revealed the Labour Party’s disability cuts will push 250,000 people into poverty, including 50,000 children.
SNP Work and Pensions spokesperson Kirsty Blackman MP said “disabled people are being forced to foot the bill for the Labour Party’s failure on the economy” and warned “the Chancellor is making the wrong choices by imposing austerity cuts, and punching down on the poorest, instead of tackling the root causes of Brexit Britain’s broken economy”.
It comes after the delayed publication of the UK government’s impact assessment of the cuts, which the SNP called “a cynical attempt to bury bad news on cuts and the economy on the same day”, and the Chancellor’s eleventh hour shock announcement of further benefit cuts because the Labour government got its sums wrong.
The impact assessment revealed that the Labour government’s own figures show 3.2 million families will see a financial loss as a result of the cuts, with an average loss of £1,720 per year.
The figures show they expect 250,000 people, including 50,000 children to be pushed into poverty as a result of the cuts.
During the election, the Labour Party repeatedly denied warnings from the SNP that they would impose billions of pounds worth of cuts and tax rises as a result of their conservative fiscal rules.
In response to warnings from Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney during the BBC Scotland Leaders’ debate, Scottish Labour Party leader Anas Sarwar infamously pledged “Read my lips: No austerity under Labour”.
Yet, since the election it has cut the winter fuel payment, announced more than £5billion of cuts to disabled people, blocked compensation for WASPI women, pushed children into poverty with welfare cuts, and is planning further cuts to public services of up to 11% at the spending review.
Yesterday, writing in the British Medical Journal a group of senior public health doctors warned that the Chancellor’s cuts would worsen claimants’ health and could cost lives.
Commenting, SNP Work and Pensions spokesperson Kirsty Blackman MP said:
”It’s now clear the Labour Party’s austerity cuts to disabled people will hurt the most vulnerable in society, push thousands of families into poverty, and slash the Scottish Government’s budget.
“During the election, the Labour Party promised voters it would stop the cuts, grow the economy and improve living standards – but it has broken all three of those promises.
“Under Keir Starmer, the UK economy is tanking, economic growth has been slashed in half , the cost of living is soaring – and disabled people are being forced to foot the bill for the Labour Party’s failure on the economy.
“The Chancellor is making the wrong choices by imposing austerity cuts, and punching down on the poorest, instead of tackling the root causes of Brexit Britain’s broken economy – and it is shameful that the Labour Party is pushing disabled people and their children into poverty.
“This was a cynical attempt to bury bad news on austerity cuts and the economy on the same day but people in Scotland won’t forget this blatant betrayal by the Labour Party – and it is staggering the Labour government is imposing even bigger cuts because it got its sums wrong.
“This is a warning sign for voters ahead of the Scottish Parliament election next year.
“It shows the Labour Party can’t be trusted to keep its promises – and it underlines the value of a progressive SNP government that will always stand up for Scotland in the face of Labour Party cuts.”
