Stephen Flynn MP has challenged Keir Starmer to “scrap the Labour Party’s cuts to disabled people and ditch its broken Tory spending rules, which are the central problem and will make everyone poorer”.
It comes amid reports UK cabinet ministers are in revolt over the Prime Minister’s plans to cut spending across public services.
The Sunday Times reported that, in addition to imposing £5billion cuts to disability benefits, Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves have asked government departments to accept deep cuts of up to 11 per cent at the spending review, which sources said were “wild”, “completely impossible” and will hit public services.
During the election, Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves repeatedly denied SNP claims that their political choice to continue conservative fiscal rules would inevitably lead to billions of pounds of cuts and tax rises.
When Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney warned about the cuts, Scottish Labour Party leader Anas Sarwar infamously claimed “Read my lips: no austerity under Labour”.
Yet, within weeks of getting into power, the Labour government cut the winter fuel payment, increased National Insurance taxes, and imposed billions of pounds worth of cuts to public services.
Since then, it has announced a further £5billion of cuts to disability benefits, blocked compensation for WASPI women, continued the two child benefit cap, and is now preparing to make cuts to non-protected departments at the spending review.
Commenting, SNP Westminster Leader Stephen Flynn MP said:
“Keir Starmer must admit he got it wrong, scrap the Labour Party’s cuts to disabled people and ditch its broken Tory spending rules, which are the central problem and will make everyone poorer.
“The cuts to disabled people are shameful – and they are just the start.
“We will all be worse off if the Labour government takes the axe to public services and goes ahead with its reckless plan for a new era of austerity cuts.
“The Prime Minister has already slashed the winter fuel payment, increased National Insurance taxes on small businesses, blocked compensation for WASPI women, and cut the welfare state.
“The truth is we are all paying the price for the Labour Party’s failure on the economy and its damaging political choices.
“Voters were promised things would get better but the UK economy is tanking, businesses are cutting jobs, and families are paying more as the cost of energy, food and bills soar on Keir Starmer’s watch.
“The Labour government has boxed itself in with its Tory austerity rules and its political choice to stay out of the EU single market, which is wiping billions of pounds from public finances that could otherwise boost household incomes and protect public services.
“Disabled people are next in line for the Labour Party’s cuts, which will hit all of us if Keir Starmer doesn’t change course.”
