‘Autumn Statement pretends to assist unemployed however might kill disabled folks’

Today was the day disabled folks have dreaded all month. The fruits of the Tories’ newest drive to demonise us all as “workshy benefit shirkers”, Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement. Of course, we’d already had the announcement of the Chancellor’s and DWP’s joint “back to work” plan final week through which disabled individuals who had already been classed as unfit for work might probably be pressured to search for work. Then yesterday as an evil starter we had Laura Trott telling the media that individuals with mobility or psychological well being issues ought to “do their duty” and do business from home or lose their advantages. But onto right now.

Before Hunt took to the dispatch field, Rishi Sunak did his traditional Prime Minister’s Questions the place amongst different issues he claimed the incapacity employment hole was closed and stated he can be making certain all households can be supported in paying their payments this winter. Then onto the primary occasion. Hunt opened with some bizarre joke about his spouse’s birthday and carried on with extra jokes equivalent to claiming the economic system had grown and incomes had been rising. He knowledgeable us he had a whopping 110 level plan to make all our lives higher – except you’re disabled that’s apparently.

Okay so lets cowl the “good” first. The chancellor can be elevating advantages by 6.7% in step with inflation. This sounds nice on the floor however in actual phrases it solely averages out at about £470 a yr or an additional £40 a month, not even sufficient for a household grocery store store. And whereas the Chancellor appeared to announce it like some superb factor he was doing for these poor down and outs, it’s solely the uplift which occurs yearly anyway.

Disabled folks had been left more and more with our nerves in tatters till the very finish, when he lastly got here to welfare. He credited Ian Duncan Smith for creating Universal Credit, like that was one thing to be happy with after which moved on to bigging up his present counterpart Mel Stride. He stated these signed off work sick had been a “waste of potential” and that it was “morally wrong” that 100,000 folks had been on advantages with out having to search for work. Funny I believe it’s morally mistaken to drive those that have already been declared unfit for work into jobs that would kill them.

Hunt went on saying that he needed “treatment rather than time off” to be the main focus and would give 500,000 folks psychological well being assist, however there was no discuss of how this may occur or the large ready lists. Then got here the killer blow to disabled campaigners, which we had been attempting to cease from occurring. He introduced that these unemployed because of illness and incapacity can be required (learn: pressured) to search for work. If in 18 months the DWP deemed a person hadn’t regarded for a job onerous sufficient they’d be made to mandator work placements and “skills courses” and face sanctions.

Of course there was no point out of how disabled folks can be supported into jobs, in the event that they’ll be accessible or if they’ll swimsuit their wants. Nor was there any point out of what the “skills courses” can be on or who can be working them. The chancellor additionally casually forgot that many on unemployment advantages are already expert staff who both misplaced their jobs due to the state of the economic system or had been disabled by the pandemic. There was additionally no point out of whether or not the work placements can be paid.

Even extra worryingly, If a sick or disabled individual has no contact with the DWP for six months they are going to be kicked off advantages. At this, the Chancellor was met with jeers from the alternative benches together with SNP member Stephen Flynn who repeatedly shouted “nasty party”. It’s a sentiment I’ve to agree with and extra so, to observe the chancellor crack jokes while saying what was basically a demise sentence for disabled folks was completely galling.

The Tories try to make this seem to be they care about disabled folks, however that is as soon as once more proof of how a lot they punish disabled folks and try to show the general public in opposition to us. The chancellor can declare to wish to assist folks into work as a lot as he likes however he should know in addition to I try this some persons are just too ailing to work. However, the place we differ is that I believe these folks deserve a authorities that may assist them sufficient and never permit them to starve to demise as a result of they’ll’t work.

The essential factor to recollect right here is that these plans gained’t are available in in a single day, with most having a begin date of at the very least the center of subsequent yr and a few not even pegged till 2025. That’s why it’s so essential that the general public has the possibility to get these inhumane, heartless creatures out. We want a basic election, now.