Kevin Abley, from Liverpool, says he does not know how he will survive if his Personal Independence Payments (PIP) are removed under a controversial Labour shake-up
A dad who lives in excruciating pain says he has no idea how politicians sleep at night as he frets over losing his PIP payments.
Kevin Abley told The Mirror he has no idea how he will survive if the £440-a-month payments are taken off him. The 60-year-old said he has started suffering panic attacks due to the stress of the Government shake-up, and called on Keir Starmer and co to think again.
Kevin, from Liverpool, said: “I’ve started having panic attacks, I’m not getting out, it’s all getting on top of me. If I lose my PIP I just haven’t got a clue how I’ll survive. I’m not living a life, I’m just existing from day to day.
“They’re damaging the people that genuinely need it, it’s sad.” Kevin has a vascular tumour that wraps around his hip and extends through his spine, having broken his back in a work accident when he was 27.
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In a message to the PM and co, he said: “I don’t know how these people sleep at night. All they’ve got to do is start taxing the big companies that don’t pay their fair share.”
Kevin, who has a 21-year-old son, Aran, who suffers from autism and ADHD and also receives PIP, continued: “I’m in pain 24 hours a day, it never goes away. Sometimes it’s manageable, but most of the time it’s not. I’d love to be able to work, but I can’t stand up for more than five minutes.
“It’s no life. These people that are making the decisions, they don’t see this and they don’t want to.” He said he was surprised that a Labour Government is making the changes.
Kevin stated: “Labour are supposed to be fighting for our rights, but now they’re doing exactly what the Conservatives would do.”
The reforms – aimed at encouraging more people off sickness benefits and into work – are set to include the tightening of criteria for personal independence payment (PIP).
There will also be a cut to the sickness-related element of universal credit (UC) and delayed access to only those aged 22 and over. Ministers are likely to face a Commons stand-off with backbench Labour MPs over their plans. Dozens of them last month said the proposals – which will save around £5billion a year – were “impossible to support”.
James Taylor, director of strategy at disability equality charity Scope said: “This bill will be catastrophic for disabled people.
“Cutting benefits will plunge hundreds of thousands into poverty. Over 800,000 will lose at least some financial support from PIP. It will have a devastating effect on disabled people’s health, ability to live independently or work.
“A transition period will only temporarily delay a cut and disabled people will continue to be living with extra costs when it comes to an end. Life costs more if you are disabled, whether or not you are working.
“The government needs listen to disabled people and change course.”
But Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall claimed the new legislation “marks the moment we take the road of compassion, opportunity and dignity”. She said: “Our social security system is at a crossroads. Unless we reform it, more people will be denied opportunities, and it may not be there for those who need it.
“This legislation represents a new social contract and marks the moment we take the road of compassion, opportunity and dignity. This will give people peace of mind, while also fixing our broken social security system so it supports those who can work to do so while protecting those who cannot – putting welfare spending on a more sustainable path to unlock growth as part of our Plan for Change.”
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