A SCOTTISH Labour MP has hit out at his own party over plans to cut the welfare budget.
It comes as Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall is set to unveil more than £6 billion in cuts to welfare, primarily through making it harder for people to get disability benefits and cutting the rate of Universal Credit for those deemed unfit to work.
The move has been widely criticised by opposition parties and charities, who have argued the cuts will have "catastrophic" consequences for people with disabilities and long-term health issues.
Criticism is also coming from within Labour, as Brian Leishman, Scottish Labour MP for Alloa and Grangemouth, condemned his own party for slashing the welfare budget in order to boost defence spending.
"Investing in weapons of death & destruction or providing aid to the world’s poorest people…
"There’s nothing 'tough' about those choices.
"Let’s build a caring country that looks after people."
It comes as five Scottish Labour MPs joined a group backing the UK Government's proposed welfare cuts: MP for Dunfermline and Dollar Graeme Downie, East Renfrewshire's Blair McDougall, Coatbridge and Bellshill MP Frank McNally, Livingston MP Gregor Poynton, and East Kilbride and Strathaven MP Joani Reid.
Former Scottish Labour MSP Neil Findlay hit out at the Scottish Labour MPs who joined the "Get Britain Working" group.
He wrote on Twitter/X: "These five Labour MPs will never be allowed to shake this off.
"They might think it will get them noticed for future promotions but their constituents who rely on disability payments because of ill health and disability will never forget".
In a meeting with Labour MPs on Monday evening, Keir Starmer said that the UK Government should not “shrug our shoulders and look away” from problems in the welfare system, which he described as "indefensible".
The Prime Minister said he was “not afraid to take the big decisions” to “fix what is broken".
He added: “This needs to be our offer to people up and down the country: if you can work, we will make work pay. If you need help, that safety net will be there for you.
"But this is the Labour Party. We believe in the dignity of work and we believe in the dignity of every worker."
