In 2016 Iain Duncan Smith resigned over proposed cuts to Personal Independence Payments (PIP). If the Government does cut PIP by c£5bn (as widely reported) that’s a cut 3x the size (in todays money) of the one IDS resigned over (which didn’t, in the end, go ahead). #JustSaying

Three charities - Mind, Scope and Citizens Advice - today say they are seeing a surge in people contacting them after last week's disability and sickness benefit cuts announcement. Paul Stewart of Mind says: “The people we help are scared. "Many were already facing serious

It's clear today that further cuts to #DisabilityBenefits are about savings and not people. This is policy making by numbers, with little recognition of the impact on real people's lives. #SpringStatement

*excluding disabled households

I am looking to speak to people today who will be affected by the government's benefits cuts - if this is you and you would like to talk, please DM or email [email protected]

Director of the charity Scope, James Taylor, tears apart Rachel Reeve's Spring Statement welfare cuts James Taylor "Biggest cuts to disability benefits for 20 years" "20% of all disabled households will be worse off" "People will be struggling to get by for years to come"

A commitment to listening but nothing to suggest what had been said over the past few months about the levels of poverty these reforms will lead to has been heard…

Tonight MPs have tabled a reasoned amendment on behalf of disabled people who have yet to have agency in this process. It is time their voices were heard. It is backed by 138 organisations Pippa Crerar The Guardian

This is a really key point. The review into PIP risks being a meaningless exercise if it doesn’t consider the proposed 4-point rule change. #PIP

NEW: Last night 86 charities came together to stand with disabled people and their organisations in calling for MPs to vote against the UC & PIP Bill proceeding 👇

Incredible show of support from charities who see first-hand the challenges faced by people experiencing hardship - proud Mind is a signatory. We need to properly define what good reform of the benefits system looks like, rather than arbitrarily cutting support. #PIP

A powerful speech from 💙Rachael Maskell MP. And thank you for raising Scope Disability Price Tag. £1,095 just to have the same standard of living. The right thing to do is to vote against this bill.

Danger is all of that together recreates the sense of chaos voters thought they’d got rid of with the Tories. Damaging in two ways 1. Annoys exhausted electorate on its own terms 2. Derisks Reform - people think if current lot already chaotic how bad can Reform be.

Tonight’s huge climbdown is testament to the countless disabled people who have tirelessly fought these cuts. Yes, UC was a loss and there’s more to do, but let’s not underplay this: a government with a vast majority has been forced to u-turn. Because of the disabled community.