Cat Eccles

“I rise to speak in favour of a variety of amendments, which I will mention as I go. In the life of an MP, not a day goes by without hearing from a constituent with an issue relating to benefits or health. We can all think of the people we have met who have suffered badly after 14 years of austerity imposed by the Conservative party. Our sick, disabled and vulnerable were left trapped in a doom loop, living hand to mouth and battling worsening mental health, while fighting a broken system that fails far too many. I doubt many hon. Members in this Chamber have personal experience of the cruel welfare system. I do. I first became ill at work with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which is a heart condition. Not long after, I suffered a pulmonary embolism and almost lost my life. That was followed by a total mental breakdown. Punitive sickness policies meant I was soon being managed out of the job I loved so much by human resources, which refused to acknowledge the recommendations of occupational health. I was in receipt of universal credit for about a year, receiving £690 a month, but that did not even cover my rent and bills, and I was at risk of losing my rented home. Thankfully, I had friends and family to support me, but not everyone is that fortunate. My confidence plummeted, and the feelings of failure, rejection and uselessness at not being able to sustain myself were all-consuming. Nobody chooses this life. In fact, just yesterday the United Nations wrote to the Government stating that the rhetoric, language and false statements used when discussing welfare is damaging, as well as raising concerns about human rights violations. I am pleased that clause 5 was pulled from the Bill, but it is still totally unclear what will happen with PIP and when, and more importantly, when MPs will be able to scrutinise and debate the proposals. Will there be a vote following the Timms review? It is imperative that Members have oversight of the outcome of the review before any implementation. Failure to do so could lead to measures being pursued that many Members have been opposed to all along. For these reasons, I am supporting new clause 8 in the name of my right hon. Friend the Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell) and new clause 11 from my hon. Friend the Member for Penistone and Stocksbridge (Dr Tidball). I am also glad that the Government are scrapping the proposed freeze to the universal credit health element. However, it will remain for future claimants, potentially deepening poverty for tens of thousands of people and creating another two-tier system. The severe conditions criterion is welcome, but it does not include fluctuating conditions such as Parkinson’s, MS or ME, and nor does it cover cancer. For those reasons, I will be supporting amendment 38 in the name of my hon. Friend the Member for York Central (Rachael Maskell), amendment 17 in the name of my hon. Friend the Member for Dunfermline and Dollar (Graeme Downie), amendment 44 in the name of my hon. Friend the Member for Isle of Wight West (Mr Quigley) and amendment 2(a) in the name of my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds East (Richard Burgon). In my constituency of Stourbridge, many people have thanked me over the past few days for voting against this flawed Bill last week—not just disabled people and their families and carers, but charity workers, work coaches, nurses and local authority staff. Nobody supports this Bill: not deaf and disabled people’s groups; not charities; and not health organisations. Not even the United Nations supports it. Let me be clear: the system needs reform and none of us disagrees that it needs to change. Labour campaigned on that promise in our manifesto, and I was proud to tell voters on the doorstep that we would be fixing social security and making it easier for people to claim, but the Bill before us does not do that. Colleagues, it does not have to be this way. There are alternatives. In fact, on social media this week my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham East (Nadia Whittome) listed no fewer than 10 options to raise funds, and my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Hallam (Olivia Blake) has raised more such points in her speech today. I will offer some more. As per amendment 37, tabled in my name, we should stop outsourcing health assessments to five private profit-making companies. Seven in 10 assessments are going to mandatory reconsideration and tribunal at the DWP’s expense. There is a lack of cohesive strategy, with assessments being carried out by all manner of staff with wildly varying experiences and backgrounds. Although that amendment has not been selected for decision, I am grateful to the Minister for recognising the need to have this discussion about how we can do things better. With the NHS 10-year plan launched, I want to see the DWP working closely with the Department of Health to utilise digital technology to link health records with DWP records and reduce the burden on applicants to provide evidence of their illnesses. Let’s deploy mental health taskforces to drive down waiting lists. Many people on long-term sick leave are awaiting mental health treatment or diagnosis. The Secretary of State for Health set up a taskforce for elective waiting lists at my local hospital trust, and it has been hugely successful in reducing waiting times. Let’s apply the same strategy to mental health. Going back to the United Nations briefly, the UK still has not met UN obligations to tackle offshore tax evasion, losing billions for the Exchequer every single year. Millions of pounds of covid fraud have still not been recouped, and let’s not forget that His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs wrote off £5 billion in unpaid tax last year. There are plenty of options to make savings. We just need the will to do it. I will end by telling the House about a friend I bumped into just last weekend. My friend Harry was walking with a crutch and told me he had recently been hit by a car, fracturing his ankle, neck and skull and herniating a disc in his back. When his head was scanned at the hospital, doctors discovered a brain tumour, which has now been removed. Harry is still waiting for the results of that surgery, but is struggling with his memory and speech, as well as recovering from his injuries. Seeing Harry reminded me that this could happen to any one of us at any time. This Bill affects everyone. One in three of us will become disabled at some point in our lifetime, and while some may not need the system, many will. I want it to be there for my family, friends and constituents to ensure that no one is left in poverty. Seventy-five per cent. of universal credit health claimants experience material deprivation and already live deep in poverty. I did not come here to make people worse off, and that is why I still cannot support this Bill today.”