It's a bitter pill to swallow

The Disability Green Paper has been launched today. Many of us have been anxiously bracing for these announcements alongside all the speculation in the media of the upcoming Spring Budget. The current government assured us they would protect the most vulnerable. They assured us no austerity under labour and yet it's hard to conceive the Labour government treating the most vulnerable members of our society any worse. It's simply indefensible. As a single parent who receives the Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) component - an additional payment for those unable to work due to health conditions or disabilities - as part of my Universal Credit, I am especially concerned about these plans.

As someone who voted for this Labour government, this is a bitter pill to swallow. When they first came into power, I hoped for a positive change from the current government, particularly in their approach to tackling the rising welfare bill and supporting disabled people. I honestly felt they would take a more compassionate approach compared to their Conservative predecessors. My disappointment grows as they are not only pushing forward with the previous government's plans to cut the welfare bill but are, in fact, taking things even further in the wrong direction. Since taking office, Labour has pressed ahead with a series of controversial decisions, from the two-child limit to the pensioners' heating payment and the treatment of WASPI women - just to name a few.

As a Scot, I find this in stark contrast to how the Scottish Government is actively addressing poverty by introducing its own devolved disability benefits whilst also reversing the contemptible actions of the UK government by mitigating the two-child limit here in Scotland and introducing pensioners' heating payment. If only the UK government would act with more compassion and lead by that example.

The Labour party say that they will protect the most vulnerable but they are planning to slash benefits and make claiming benefits like PIP much harder. I feel frustrated that in Scotland we're still mainly at the mercy of Westminster's decisions.

The proposed reforms to disability benefits are framed as incentives to work, which might sound good at first - but it’s actually far from that.

Plans to increase Universal Credit payments for those who can and are actively in or seeking work, while simultaneously reducing payments for existing claimants in the most severe category (LCWRA), are deeply concerning. They are effectively targeting disabled people, pushing them further into poverty and despair.

As someone in receipt of the LCWRA payment, this would directly impact me and my family by reducing my income. Since the Scottish Child Payment (SCP) was introduced, it's made a positive change to my income, but with plans now to reduce the LCWRA payment, it's going to make things harder again. It's undermining the very real fight against poverty. Whilst I feel Scotland gives with one hand, Westminster takes with another. It's a vicious circle.