Labour MP Clive Lewis has delivered an ‘epic rant’ about his own party’s planned welfare cuts.
On Wednesday afternoon, Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to announce further cuts to the welfare system and benefits in her spring statement.
This comes off the back of Keir Starmer’s government announcing a major overhaul of the welfare system, aimed at saving £5bn a year by 2029.
In particular, there is anger towards Labour’s key decision to tighten the eligibility criteria for personal independence payment (PIP), a benefit aimed at helping those with increased living costs due to disability or long-term illness.
The plans have been roundly criticised by disability charities, unions, and from within the Labour Party.
Among those who have voiced their opposition to the cuts is Labour MP Clive Lewis.
Appearing on Newsnight this week, the Norwich South MP hit out at the government for choosing to “cut and to punch down on some of the poorest and most vulnerable.”
In a lengthy rant about the cuts, Lewis explained how he disagreed with Reeves self-imposed fiscal rules, and said he believed austerity was “making a return” to the UK.
On social media, Lewis was praised for the “epic rant.”
Last week, Lewis stood up in the house to criticise his party’s plans for welfare reform. He told the house and Work and Pensions secretary Liz Kendall that the £5bn worth of cuts would impact “people on the brink” more than Kendall’s department realise.
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