SCOTLAND’S Social Justice Secretary has said Labour's “two-tier system” on disability benefits will not be replicated north of the Border.
The Labour UK Government has been forced into a partial U-turn on its welfare reform bill after more than 120 party MPs threatened to rebel against the government in a vote next week.
As part of the concessions, people who currently receive Personal Independence Payments (Pip), or the health element of Universal Credit, will continue to do so.
But planned cuts to these payments will still hit future claimants, with the fresh package of measures now being branded as a “two-tier system” that will see the “young treated worse than the old”.
The new plan still keeps in place proposals to change the eligibility criteria for PIP for future claimants.
Shirley-Anne Somerville, Scotland’s Social Justice Secretary, has criticised the “backroom late-night deal”, highlighting disabled people had still not been consulted on the plans.
And she has stressed such measures will not be implemented in Scotland.
She posted on Twitter/X: “A two-tier system cannot be a fair system.
“That’s what disabled people would have told the Labour Government if they had actually asked them rather than making a backroom late-night deal with their own MPs.
“And this half U-turn still does not scrap the 4+ points rule which will prevent support for 100,000s with diffuse disabilities in the future. @scotgov will not follow Labour’s lead on any of these changes.”
Scotland does not have Pip and instead has a separate devolved payment known as the Adult Disability Payment, but decisions made in London on disability benefits will still impact on Scotland financially.
The concessions have gone down well with some of the Labour rebels including ringleader Meg Hillier (below), who is now expected to withdraw her reasoned amendment that had been signed by nearly 130 Labour MPs, including 12 Scottish ones.
She BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that cutting disability benefits will “in the long-term mean more spending because it has knock-on consequences”.
“Voting for this bill would mean pulling up the ladder and baking in poverty for future disabled people,” she went on.
Peter Lamb, Labour MP for Crawley, also wrote on social media that he would still not support the bill, calling the changes "insufficient" and accusing ministers of ignoring better options.
Scottish Labour MP Brian Leishman said the concessions were "not enough because disabled people will still become poorer".
SNP MP Pete Wishart said he hoped the rebels would stand firm and continue to oppose the bill.
Sharing news of the changes, he tweeted: “Not nearly good enough. A two-tier system which will depend on when you claim for your support. Let's hope the 'rebellion' won't settle for this.”
Former Labour MSP Neil Findlay also said that MPs “need to stand firm and see off Government attempts to divide those opposed to their dreadful cuts".
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said Keir Starmer is “on the brink of creating a two-tier disability system where the young will be treated worse than the old”.
He added: “The message from the Labour Party is clear – if you have an accident that causes a disability, develop a disability over time or if you have a child with a disability you will receive less support than those who have come before you."
If the legislation passes on Tuesday, it will then face a few hours' examination by all MPs the following week, rather than days or weeks in front of a committee.
