Mother of the House Diane Abbott MP led a debate on the government’s plans to cut Personal Independence Payments (PIPs) for millions of disabled people. I reiterated my call for the government to scrap cuts to PIP and other disability benefits, which will only push disabled people deeper into poverty and ill health. It is not hyperbole to suggest we may count the ultimate cost of these cuts in lost lives.

This month’s local election results show that these cuts will do our party no favours at the ballot box either. They show how the current strategy risks alienating our base whilst holding the door open for Reform. Many who voted for change last year worry that Labour has abandoned the most vulnerable, with PIP and winter fuel cuts coming up repeatedly on the doorstep. Instead of doubling down, we need to learn the lessons of this defeat and change course.

I also put my name to a letter calling on our government to drop these disability benefit cuts. The government’s failure to consult on the most drastic cuts only emphasises they are unworkable in their current form. There is still time to listen to disabled people, recognise the harm these cuts will do and come up with a workable plan that safeguards support for the most vulnerable.