Monday night’s episode of Newsnight turned into a heated debate as Victoria Derbyshire grilled Labour politician Shami Chakrabarti on the government’s upcoming welfare cuts. With the official announcement expected today (March 18), tensions were high, and Chakrabarti didn’t hold back.
Blasting the way the plans have been handled, Chakrabarti accused the government of playing political games at the expense of vulnerable people. “I’ve listened to all sorts of people saying ‘Read the Green Paper and don’t just respond to speculation in the media’. Where did the speculation come from? It wasn’t invented by you (Victoria) or other journalists. There was leaking, briefing and spinning for weeks,” she said.
Derbyshire pressed further, asking whether the government’s handling of the situation had already caused harm. Chakrabarti’s response was blunt: “Of course it has! Whatever the outcome, shame on those people playing politics, those spin doctors and special advisors who’ve been playing this game at the expense of people’s mental health”, reported the Express.
Derbyshire didn’t let her off the hook, pointing out that some of those responsible for the leaks were from Labour’s own government. Chakrabarti, visibly frustrated, admitted: “Well, some people in the government who speak for ministers and then brief their primaries to come out and say ‘don’t respond to speculation’. This little Westminster game of leaking and briefing, look at the potential costs, including mental health costs.”
When pushed on whether she supported the cuts, she didn’t hesitate: “It is not a Labour thing to do, it’s not even a human thing to do to cut from people who are in trouble. You never improve anyone’s mental health by pushing them into poverty.”
Meanwhile, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall is set to confirm the government’s welfare overhaul, arguing there is both a “moral and an economic case” for the changes. Downing Street insists the reforms will put the welfare system “back on a more sustainable path” and help more people into work.
Reports suggest the changes could strip around £5 billion from the welfare budget. However, there is growing unease within the Labour Party, particularly over potential cuts to the personal independence payment (PIP), which supports millions of disabled people. The backlash has reportedly forced the government to reconsider freezing PIP levels, which would have amounted to a real-terms cut for 3.6 million claimants.
On Monday, Kendall reassured MPs that the reforms would ensure “trust and fairness” in the welfare system, making sure benefits are available “for people who need it now, and for years to come.”
Despite the reassurances, the government faces a tough battle, with critics arguing that cutting support for society’s most vulnerable isn’t just bad policy—it’s inhumane. Ministers maintain that reforms are necessary, with the number of people claiming sickness or disability benefits rising from 2.8 million to around four million since 2019.
Downing Street has also pushed back against claims that these changes are simply a response to the UK’s financial struggles, but with tensions running high, the debate is far from over.
