Over 100 disabled public figures have begun a campaign to stop the planned cuts to personal independence payment (PIP) by writing an open letter to Keir Starmer. They have told the prime minister they “will not stand by while our community is sacrificed for the illusion of savings. We urge the Government to stop #TakingThePIP”.
Signatories to the letter include Rosie Jones, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Liz Carr, Tom Shakespeare, Ruth Madeley and Cherylee Houston.
The open letter to Starmer begins:
“We, a collective of Deaf, Disabled and/or Neurodivergent (DDN) people with public profiles, write urgently on behalf of our community to demand that the government withdraw its inhumane and catastrophic plans to cut disability benefits, including Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and the health-related component of Universal Credit.”
It goes on to warn that:
“The proposed cuts will:
- Strip financial support from those who need it most
- Push hundreds of thousands of families deeper into poverty
- Reduce access to care, equipment, transport, and basic needs
- Overwhelm councils, which rely on PIP assessments for social care
- Remove eligibility for Carer’s Allowance from thousands of unpaid carers
- Deepen social exclusion and increase disability-related deaths”
You can visit the group’s website and read the letter in full at https://takingthepip.co.uk
