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The Government must stop this cruel and brutal proposal immediately. 

Signed and circulated. 

Thank you for contacting me about the benefit reforms that were announced on the 18th of March. I have had so many people contact me about this, many of whom are scared about what this means for them and their loved ones. It is a privilege to hear people's deeply personal stories, and these have all been read. However, due to the sheer volume of correspondence I have had I am unable to respond to each story personally. To those of you that this affects, please be assured that I have heard your concerns and will be raising these where possible, as will my Liberal Democrat colleagues. 

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is failing those it is meant to support, and short-term cuts will only deepen that failure. We know the system is broken, and the Liberal Democrats will continue to fight for a welfare system that supports people rather than punishing them. 

We agree that the welfare bill needs to come down and that we should support more people into work - it's what's right for people and our economy But we don't believe you achieve that by slashing support for disabled people - some of whom will never be able to work - while others need PIP precisely so that they can continue to work. Limiting eligibility for these people will do nothing to get more people into employment. 

The Lib Dems have long said that the best way to bring down benefits spending is to fix health and social care and fix it quickly. This involves investing in preventative health measures by boosting the public health grant, properly funding mental health support, especially for young people, and reforming social care. That is why it has been so disappointing to see the government's lack of urgency in this area, taking three years to complete their social care review and kicking projects like new hospitals into the long grass. Until that changes, no meaningful drop in the welfare bill will arrive, and the misery that people are suffering will continue. 

I completely appreciate that people have been thrown into really damaging uncertainty and need clarity as soon as possible, but first we need to actually see the legislation, which hasn't been published yet. We also haven't seen the official impact assessment or the Government's full costings, which will come in the Spring Statement. That said, we've been very clear that some of these announcements are simply wrong, for example cutting PIP for people who need support with daily tasks, and of course that will reflect on how I deal with the legislation when it comes to Parliament. 

If the Government wants to boost the finances quickly, they could be asking the banks, big tech and online gambling firms to pay a bit more out of their massive profits, rather than going after people with disabilities. 

Disabled people and those that care for them deserve our support and they deserve clarity from this government. Please be assured that I will do all I can to support my constituents through this extremely worrying time. 

Yours sincerely,

Anna Sabine MP

At least there's someone in the labour party who hasn't forgotten their morals, compassion and decency.  Anyone in the party that doesn't stand against this disgraceful attack on disabled and chronically ill people, should hang their heads in shame and be removed from their position with no pension, benefits or golden handshake.

How anyone can agree with this and have no conscience is beyond inhuman.  It's sick.  The lowest of the low.  What the hell has our country become.  Full of evil monsters, selfish, greedy, despicable.

No amount of money is ever enough and many (not all) of the wealthiest are happy to get ever richer off the backs of everyone else.  Playing divide and rule games, turning the working people against the disabled through lies and rhetoric in the brainwashing media.

This has to be stopped right now and never allowed to happen again in the future.  Changes need to be made to reform the system for the better, not making it worse for the poorest, disabled and vulnerable people.  It is bad enough already and has been terribly unfair, biased and designed to fail and torture for years.  The entire points and descriptor system is a farce, in both PIP and the WCA.  Repeatedly reviewing (torturing people) over and over, lies and complete fabrications by so called health care professionals (where's the health, care or professionalism in these people).  Then there's the sanctions if you don't comply to demands, which you are unable to comply with because you are chronically ill and disabled through no fault of your own.  It is barbaric, it has killed thousands and has no place in our society.  The private assessment companies cost millions, the admin costs millions, the repeated reviews, mandatory reconsiderations and tribunals which find in huge numbers that the health care professionals (costing millions) got it wrong.  All of it costs billions and they're happy to spend it, trying to make out  disabled and chronically ill people are liars, cheats, shirkers and fraudsters, even though their own statistics show there is 0% fraud.  

Why not spend these billions making lives better and paying a decent, truly liveable amount, so that disabled people can live comfortably?  Not having to live in a state of poverty, constant fear,  anxiety, stress and worrying about when the next DWP torture session is coming through their letterbox?

This whole thing is disgusting, it's gone on for years. No matter which political party or, otherwise individual, instigates or supports this, it is an abomination and needs to stop!