Why I Voted Against the Welfare Reform Bill

This week, I voted against the Government’s Welfare Reform Bill because I believe it fails those who most need our support. Despite last-minute concessions from ministers, the Bill still risks stripping carers, disabled people, and some of the most vulnerable in our society of vital assistance.

The Government’s approach will put up more barriers to work, not fewer. Many people rely on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and other support to stay in employment or live independently. The changes proposed in this Bill would have made that harder, not easier, creating a false economy that, in the end, would put more pressure on the NHS and social care. After years of decline under the Conservatives, we need bold and ambitious reform to tackle the root causes of ill-health and rising welfare costs, not cuts that make people’s lives harder.

It should not have taken a major rebellion for the Government to recognise the damage these plans would cause. Their late decision to apply changes only to future claimants rather than those currently receiving PIP was welcome, but it does not go far enough. Even now, the government has failed to publish an impact assessment or consult properly with those who will be affected. Carers’ voices, in particular, have been ignored throughout this process, and they must be heard.

We Liberal Democrats have tabled our own Reasoned Amendment to clearly set out why we oppose this Bill. Our position is simple: we cannot support measures that make life harder for unpaid carers, disabled people who rely on support to stay in work, or those whose disabilities mean they will never be able to work.

If the Government was serious about tackling the cost of welfare, it would start by fixing health and social care and addressing chronic ill-health at its root. Instead, they are pursuing cuts that will only store up greater costs, human and financial, for the future.

You can read more about the Liberal Democrats’ position on this Bill and what we are calling for here.