Keir Starmer faced a stark wake-up call from within his party this week as Labour MP Sarah Owen delivered a chilling message straight from the inboxes of disabled people across the country: People are scared, stressed, and feeling completely let down.
During a Commons session, Owen told the Prime Minister that the government’s recently announced benefit reforms have triggered “quite a bit of stress” among those who rely on disability support. Reading out real messages from constituents, she shared the voices behind the stats — one person said, “I am beyond stressed with anticipation of losing money – I have £700 to live on this month.”
Another added, “The proposed cuts to disability benefits have left me full of panic about the future and extremely let down.” One even wrote, “I feel so sick, physically sick. The whole process is horrid, please represent me”, reported the Mirror.
Starmer responded by insisting that the government would “continue to help those who do need support and protection.” But the pressure kept coming, as Labour MP Debbie Abrahams questioned how these cuts wouldn’t end up pushing vulnerable people into poverty, especially in light of grim forecasts.
At the heart of the storm is Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s Spring Statement, which revealed £4.8 billion in welfare cuts. The bulk of that will come from tightening eligibility for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) — a move that, according to the government’s own analysis, could push 250,000 people into poverty, including around 50,000 children. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation went even further, warning that the figure could be closer to 400,000.
Starmer tried to make the case that the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) hadn’t taken into account the potential for these changes to influence behaviour — in other words, to encourage people into work. “The OBR have scored nothing against any change here. The assumption is not a single person changes their behaviour. I personally struggle with that way of looking at it,” he said.
He added that reducing child poverty was one of Labour’s proudest past achievements — and something he still wants to deliver again in government.
The conversation also turned to the language used by senior ministers, with both Darren Jones and Rachel Reeves previously referring to benefits as “pocket money.” Asked whether that kind of language should be stamped out, Starmer said, “Of course language matters… Occasionally people don’t get it quite right. They usually apologise and are quite right to.” He added that “dignity” is the word that defines his political values — but for many watching, actions will speak louder than words.
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