I’ve been trying to write this column all week, but honestly, I’m exhausted. Not once, not twice, but three times in the last week plans have leaked about the government’s welfare reforms which will make life even harder for disabled people in this country.
So firstly a quick rundown, this time last week news broke that the Department for Works and Pensions planned to snoop on benefits claimants' bank accounts as part of his decree to “crackdown on fraudsters”. Of course, it’s a hugely flawed plan purely based on how much it would cost - but it massively helped in furthering his other (in my opinion) agenda of making the public hate unemployed disabled people.
Then, just as the working week was starting on Monday, the BBC revealed the prospective ideas for what they were going to do with those who had already been declared unfit for work. They’ve changed their minds now and all disabled people will be forced into work. Labelled “workshy benefit shirkers” by Jeremy Hunt last month.
The DWP want to scrap specific parts of the work capability assessment that are designed to help those who are too sick or disabled to work. In the case of Universal Credit it’s the limited capability for work category or in employment support allowance it’s the support group. Both of these currently mean you don’t have to look for work and receive an extra £390 a month.
Despite the Chancellor and DWP minister both claiming changes would stop those “languishing” on long-term sick, it would actually affect the newest claimants. That’s people such as those who are waiting for operations or are newly disabled people by the ongoing pandemic.
Then just yesterday the most chilling part broke. Jeremy Hunt and Mel Stride announced their Back To Work plan which they say will “help up to 1,100,000 people with long-term health conditions, disabilities or long-term unemployment to look for and stay in work.” However, as always with the Tories, this isn’t the helpful support it first appears. The announcement threatens “tougher sanctions” and that if claimants are found to not be looking for work they will lose “perks” such as free prescriptions and the warm home discount.
So despite previously being declared unfit for work, long-term sick and disabled people will be forced into jobs that are unfit for them and if they don’t (or can’t) look for work, they will lose access to medication and the help to heat their homes. They’re also changing the way “fit notes” work, taking the power away from your own GP who knows you and giving it to DWP appointed medical professionals. This isn’t support, these plans will kill disabled people and the Tories know this. Their disdain for us has been evident these last 13 years.
The rhetoric that’s being used to vilify us again and again as “workshy benefit shirkers” “coasting on handouts” has dangerous consequences and is doing exactly what they want. When Hunt says such bile as "Anyone choosing to coast on the hard work of taxpayers will lose their benefits.” he’s trying his hardest to turn working-class people against disabled people, because it means they aren’t scrutinising how much money the government wastes.
A huge part of my job is standing up for disabled people in the face of cruelty such as this, but it’s taking such a huge toll on me and many others. I'm sick of agreeing to do interviews in good faith only to be grilled by presenters and treated like I and my community are doing something wrong. I’m sick of it being a topic of debate, our lives shouldn’t be up for debate. I’m sick of having to defend our right to live. Disabled people shouldn’t be the ones having to defend ourselves. It's this disgusting government that is using dangerous rhetoric that should be held accountable.
Disabled people make up almost two-thirds of those facing destitution, they aren’t the reason hard-working people can’t afford groceries or their electricity bill. The latest tory policies will kill disabled people, we can’t let them. We must hold the government to account and remember who the real enemy is.