In a statement to the House of Commons, Alison McGovern, standing in for Liz Kendall, the Shadow Work and Pensions Minister, clarified Labour’s stance on the DWP’s Green Paper proposals.
Ms McGovern, Labour MP for Wirral South, said: “Labour will carefully review the detail of the Green Paper, because the country that we want is one where disabled people have the same right to a good job and help to get it as anyone else.
“We will judge any measure that the government bring forward on its merits and against that principle, because the costs of failure in this area are unsustainable. The autonomy and routine of work is good for us all, for our mental and physical health-and more than that, for women, work is freedom, too.”
Despite these comments, Ms McGovern acknowledged that the disability benefit system still faces fundamental challenges, with costs having surged since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic due to an increase in individuals deemed unable to work. Government expenditure on such benefits has soared by two-thirds, from £42.3 billion to £69 billion.
Yet, this does not imply that the ideas presented in the Green Paper will be disregarded entirely. Benefits and Work suggested: “It’s entirely possible that Labour will also be looking to reduce the current rapidly increasing cost of PIP.”