Labour’s disability cuts will ignite a scandal to rival Windrush

To cover up the harsh £40 billion in tax hikes and the massive £22bn Budget gap, she offered a modest 1.7% benefits increase, just enough to barely match inflation this year.

Her party may fully support her plan, but behind this deafening adulation lies a harsh reality: Reeves is driving a Tory-era overhaul of disability benefits that risks igniting a crisis as profound as Windrush.

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The Chancellor confirmed Labour will continue the previous government’s plan to reform the Work Capability Assessment, which determines universal credit eligibility for people with health conditions, aiming to reduce eligible recipients.

Although projected to save £1.3bn, this reform removes up to £5000 in vital support from approximately 420,000 recipients – many already living paycheck-to-paycheck – and further threatens assistance for the one in four Britons with disabilities.

The Government now acknowledges that Windrush policies created a “hostile environment” for people of color. Disability benefits cuts threaten a similar injustice, this time targeting disabled people. This crisis could prove even more devastating, not just for the vast number impacted today but for future generations condemned to dependence on a government that is seemingly abandoning them.

In the broader view, cutting disability benefits offers no long-term savings. The anti-poverty charity Z2K warns these cuts will push thousands of disabled people into severe poverty. This is backed by the Office for Budget Responsibility, which forecasts that only 3% of those affected will find work, while 97% face worsening conditions, ultimately increasing the burden on social services for future support.

The bigger problem is that these cuts threaten to crush ambition, shatter dreams, and trap a generation of disabled Britons in a hostile cycle of chronic idleness and lasting unemployment.

Already, Britain's disability employment gap sits at a staggering 28%, while countries like Sweden and Germany achieve much lower rates, estimated around 10-17%.

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It's not like Reeves hasn’t been warned. In October, the House of Lords report cautioned that Britain is effectively “writing off” disabled people, ignoring their immense potential. NGOs estimate this untapped talent costs the British economy £50bn annually—a stark figure, compared to the paltry £1.3bn in projected savings.

Instead of reducing British talent to a mere accounting figure, the Labour Government should prioritise unlocking the potential of all working-age citizens. While securing a record £63bn in foreign investment is commendable, Labour’s success rings hollow if the Britain’s severe skills shortage – affecting 73% of UK organizations – and rising health crisis remain unaddressed.

Britain has proven it can think ahead – just look at the government’s £300bn investment in the green transition. Although expensive initially, this commitment promises lasting returns. We need the same approach for supporting disabled people, not just rethinking their treatment but fully embracing their vital potential.

Closing the disability employment gap, unleashing disabled Britons’ potential, and strengthening our economy demands bold, transformative policies – like guaranteed income for disabled workers and tax incentives to support inclusive businesses.

We must also look to countries that have effectively addressed this issue. Sweden’s Wage Subsidy Programs, for example, help employers hire individuals with disabilities by covering a significant portion of wages, reducing perceived risks. Germany’s quota system requires companies with over 20 employees to have at least 5% of their workforce made up of individuals with disabilities.

But focusing on fiscal and regulatory measures alone barely scratches the surface of what's possible – and these solutions would be challenging to implement under the current government’s tight-fisted ways. What’s often overlooked is the transformative role of technology in unlocking the potential of people with disabilities.

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This idea took centre stage at the recent Open Futures Forum 2024 Roundtable in Rome. Hosted by the Open Society Foundations against the backdrop of the G7 ministers' meeting on inclusion and disability, the event brought together political action and innovative insights from global experts to explore technology-driven solutions for accessible, meaningful employment for people with disabilities.

Key attendees included the UK’s minister of state for social security and disability, Sir Stephen Timms, and Sara Minkara, the US special advisor on international disability rights. Minkara in particular emphasized how the tech industry’s projected 2030 shortfall of 85 million jobs in cybersecurity offers a unique opportunity to harness the untapped potential of Britain’s 16 million disabled citizens.

This is the vision that must inspire the Labour Government now. Ignoring these clear fiscal and moral warnings and stripping essential support from disabled Britons risks a crisis as grave as Windrush, one that could irreparably taint Labour’s legacy.

Every day these cuts remain unchallenged condemns thousands to lives of dependency and exclusion. The UK Government must change course – before it bears the shame of forsaking its most vulnerable citizens.

Nathalie Beasnael PhD is a Chadian-American healthcare professional and humanitarian who has lived in the UK. She founded Health4Peace, a non-profit organization providing essential medical supplies to hospitals in Chad, Senegal, Ghana, South Africa, and Nigeria.

In 2023, she participated in the UN COP28 conference in Dubai with British government officials and the Health Secretary, moderating a panel on climate change's impact on human health.