In a desperate effort to distract attention from the growing anger over the proposed personal independence (PIP) cuts, Liz Kendall announced that work has begun on designing a new assessment which will combine the doomed work capability assessment (WCA) with the PIP assessment.

In the Pathways To Work Green paper, Labour announced that the WCA would be scrapped in 2028 and eligibility for the additional UC health element would be based on receiving any rate of the daily living component of PIP.

In order to do this the DWP plan to change the PIP assessment rules, which they claim need “modernising.  In particular, the Green Paper notes that:   

“People reporting mental health or neurodiverse conditions as their primary condition have increased more rapidly than those reporting other conditions, and increases in disability have been more marked among younger adults than older people, although older working-age people are still more likely to be disabled.”

It seems that Labour have in mind a tightening of the PIP eligibility criteria around mental health and neurodiversity and possibly around the “condition” of being young.

In addition, the Green Paper warns that the aim of the new assessment is to “shape a system of active support that helps people manage and adapt to their long-term condition and disability in ways that expand their functioning and improve their independence.”

It is entirely unclear what this might mean, except it sounds like some claimants may be given something other than cash.

Liz Kendall told MPs “I know how anxious many people are when there’s talk about reform, but this government wants to ensure PIP is fair for people who need it now and into the future. In our green paper we promised to review the PIP assessment, working with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, and other experts. And I can tell the house we are starting the first phase of that review today.”

The review is being led by Stephen Timms, the DWP disability minister who has been criticised by many for what they see as a marked change of stance from his opposition days, when he was a fierce critic of the DWP and seen as an ally of disabled claimants.

The fact that a new PIP assessment is due to be introduced in 2028 adds a new layer of fear an uncertainty for PIP claimants.

From November 2026, Labour plans to implement new rules which will remove PIP daily living from any current claimant who does not score at least 4 points for one activity when their award is reviewed.

But now, claimants have the added fear that the PIP assessment may change radically in 2028 and there may be other ways in which their award can be taken away from them. 

In addition, the DWP have still not made it clear whether existing claimants who get the limited capability for work-related activity element in their universal credit, will be protected if they do not receive – or lose – their PIP daily living component from 2028.

Kendall claims the DWP review team will be working with disabled people and the organisations that represent them.

But many claimants must be wondering about the wisdom of organisations lending their name to a process which may result in an even more complex and even less generous assessment system.

And many Labour MPs may be wondering about the electoral wisdom of launching yet another attack on both PIP and UC claimants a matter of possibly only months before an election in 2029.

It is likely that hundreds of thousands of disabled claimants voted for Labour at the last election in order to put paid to the Tory’s hated PIP voucher suggestion.

If Liz Kendall had been asked to make absolutely, cast-iron certain that those same voters would never, ever vote Labour again, she could hardly have come up with a better plan.

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    · 11 days ago
    Am I missing something? I thought PIP was not work related. Obviously your job has to fit  with how you say your ability affects you. But it has nothing to do with the Universal Credit LCWRA element. Some people get PIP who aren't on Universal Credit. PIP is to pay for the extra costs incurred from living with a disability that impacts your life to the extent you meet their criteria. It should be totally separate. The same way that there will be people who can't face the stress/ horror of applying for PIP - it's not a mandatory requirement - but would be entitled to LCWRA with their Universal Credit. Why is the government linking these two benefits. Someone can get PIP and work but earn over the limit for Universal Credit. For example, some people can only work because Access to Work pay for a support worker to travel to/ from work and support them while at work. But it's only work related activity. They can still get PIP to pay for other support they need outside of work. I'm not understanding the logic! Access to Work will fund up to I think it's around £62000 of support per year for someone to work - so taxis, full time support worker etc. I hope the government are budgeting for all the people they want to get back to work, people who would need full time support Vis Access to Work in order to access work? 
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    · 11 days ago
    this is just mind blowing i don’t really understand how they can even do this when it’s not even been voted on by any of the groverment is this what the country has come to that labour just get to do what they want now without it being agreed on by the house of commons, i relay on this money for my health care. their just taking from the poor to get to the rich 
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      · 11 days ago
      @sam This is a continuation of ideas the Tories had and Labour are continuing them. Ridiculous really. Tories were voted out because of their decisions yet Labour believe they will fare better with the same 
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    · 11 days ago
    This is the first time I've heard that you need to get Daily living to retain LCWRA. Mobility was part of the WCA, arguably a large part so why is it not still considered. If true it means any1 who loses standard daily living loses almost £4,000 a year or £6,000 on enhanced and then another £5,000 on LCWRA. How the hell does this govt expect people to survive if they take £10,000 away from them. This policy is a disgrace, I've already resigned as a Labour Party Member in protest and written a strongly worded letter to my local MP, Josh Simons, for all the use he is. They need to be stopped
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      · 11 days ago
      @Shorty Yep. I am set to lose over 10K on top of the 3K I will lose when moved to UC. 

      I am medically retired on Enhanced Both… 

      Where do you even start?? 
      This is barbaric. 




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      · 11 days ago
      @Shorty I am total agreement with you
      Labours plans disgust me. Your Mp sounds very much like mine only interested when she comes grovelling for votes. As soon as she's got her nice warm office and £93000 salary+expenses she is impossible to get in touch with or get a reply from. I have no idea if she supports the plans or not. Like you said all the use they are.
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    · 12 days ago
    It’s funny I foresaw that if they combined the two assessments that most people would lose there benefits completely, it really aggravated me when charities and others including benefitsandwork were supportive of the idea of combining these two assessments, now we are looking at if we don’t qualify for one we don’t qualify for the other which was something that we never a problem with all supporters of this should be ashamed of themselves! I won’t qualify for the living component new rules so now I will also lose my UC health benefit as well so I can’t even pull my belt in if these proposals go through, it is so much about assessing people is stressing and upsetting yes maybe however now those that don’t get the 4 points in one box might lose uc health as well! I can’t understand the mentality now or ever to be honest charities and others this is your fault!! 
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      · 11 days ago
      @Jayne Hendri I personally always believed that joining them would be a mistake. And here we are. The main problem with WCA was the way they cruelly went about it. The lies and deceit of the the assessors.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 12 days ago
    I never thought I would see the day where the Labour Party would be so out of touch with its constituents. They are demonising the vulnerable, the ones they lied about during their election campaigns. I am sick with worry as I have a condition that is rarely recognised by doctors let alone a would be assessor with no clue as to what they are doing. I think it’s time to send a bigger message to the world, we may be disabled but we are not less than, not a burden and we deserve support. It’s only now there are ramps and disabled toilets after years and years of fighting for it. We have e to fight to be accepted and fight for financial support. We deserve better. 
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  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 12 days ago
    Having been a victim of changes to benefit rules and eligibility to receive payment, since the 1990’s, this just another excise in reducing payments to claimants dressed up in various claims by government ministers who don’t understand what they are talking about, and just being about cutting payments, to save money. And force people into poverty, unfortunately the retired population is growing, and people are living longer, I will within six months be joining the OAP community. I currently receive PIP care and Mobility component, under the proposed four point criteria I will probably lose the care component, but don’t think the  Mobility component won’t be next, it’s not under attack because of the effect on the the car industry retail and production at the moment? We supposedly had a change of Government last July but they are just peddling the same rubbish that the last Government came out with. People on benefit are being attacked to save money, to cover the poor Governmental decisions made since 1979?
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 18 days ago
    what the DWP are doing as to be unlawful there has to be something we can do to stop these evil people doing to disabled people  
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    · 19 days ago
    Can anyone say when this is likely to be introduced, in reality, as I remember reading it won't come through until after the next election?
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      · 12 days ago
      @Dez If these go through they are digging their graves and they will be wiped out at the next General Election. They are  making it easy for the Respect party to get into power which is not the solution.
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      · 18 days ago
      @axab43 The 4 points in one activity rule for PIP - if it gets voted through without a hitch - will come into effect in November 2026. The WCA will be phased out and replaced with this new assessment by 2028 (they have yet to state exactly when in 2028). And that's if whatever they come out with doesn't meet pushback from MPs. 

      For reference, the next general election must be called before August 2029 so yes, they may be calling it close. 

      They've yet to even release a Green Paper on this new assessment as it requires a completely different legislation from the current Green Paper that is out. This may be the 'work' that is being referred to. The writing up of the proposals, I mean.
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    · 19 days ago
    This is the kind of deceitful wordplay that really gets my back up.
     
    “I know how anxious many people are when there’s talk about reform, but..."

    Anxious? I don't think she has any idea. More like agonizingly worried and terrified because each time they're in No 10, they 'reform' it. And screw it up, leaving claimants worse off, and more claimant suffering and deaths occur. No matter how they gaslight it as being a helpful scheme to get claimants into work, they ignore the fact that disabled claimants are in receipt of benefits as the result of government's *own* admission that they are, in fact, disabled and unable to work.  Every subsequent 'reform' is an admission of their previous failure, and since the best indicator of future behaviour is past behaviour, it's guaranteed there's more of the same to come and a further downward trajectory for claimant quality of life. 

    The word 'but' between causes in a sentence, negates (cancels or erases the accuracy) of the first clause. In this case, claimant's reaction to news of more 'reform', is dismissive despite government's track record on punitive impoverishment of the most vulnerable in society. 

    I note, thankfully, the public opinion of disabled claimants has turned a corner as a growing number of people, including a significant number of MPs, see more Labour-style 'reform' as both unnecessary and harmful. Cold comfort when the government is masquerading budget balancing as helpful to those most in need. 

    When governments won't and charities can no longer, it's people helping each other that is the definition of a cohesive society. Hold your head up, remember you matter and are worthy of care and inclusion in society. Help each other in any way that you are able. Even the smallest gesture of understanding and support helps someone. 
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    · 19 days ago
    If the green paper gets voted down in June. Will Kendall have to stop the reforms to PiP and ESA? Or will she carry on anyway, this is more a rhetorical question as we won’t know the answers. I guess my point is, why would she begin this work before the first vote is passed? Seems odd to me. 
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      · 18 days ago
      @Anniesmum The bill won't get voted down,as labour have the numbers and the Tory's will vote for it.
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      · 19 days ago
      @Anniesmum If the proposals get voted down, they'll have to take them away and rework them. I very much doubt they'll shrug and be like 'well, I guess they got us there!' and leave disability benefits alone because that would be a very big show of what they call "political weakness" but the proposals may be watered down in order to appease MPs. 
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    · 19 days ago
    I hope this site and others are able to keep track of all the deaths and suffering and abject misery Labours cuts will undoubtedly cause? 
    Theyre Terrorists and have been since 1997
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    · 19 days ago
    Omg really are the government this desperate for scraping back money that they now go after people with mental health conditions and those with autism                                                  As if life isn’t hard enough for people on the spectrum and those with mental health conditions.                                                   Doesn’t the government realise what they are doing will have a devastating detrimental impact on disabled people’s lifes regardless of what disability they have .                                           yet the government just doesn’t care about disabled people we are just the scape goats for the government to use any tactics they can to make our lifes more hell on earth 
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      · 11 days ago
      @Anon They don't care about people with paranoid schizophrenia. A chronic and severe mental illness that has no cure.
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    · 19 days ago
    I read somewhere that a DWP whistleblower stated that the four most likely conditions that won't be affected by the four point rule will be late stage cancer, motor neurone disease, advanced MS. Basically conditions where you're not likely to live (or claim) for an extended of time.
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    · 19 days ago
    The fact is they're doing this because they feel too many people know the current assessment inside and out and just know the "right" things to say vs. people actually being genuine (even though B&W's previous article highlighted that a lot of people get their advice from charities, Jobcentres and Citizen's Advice and not random people priming them online).

    It just begs the question: how long will it be before they have to change up the assessment again and what counts as "being disabled" because "too many people" know how to navigate it? They're putting higher stakes on this assessment after all by linking UC Health Element to PIP, after all. Both claimants and DWP whistleblowers will absolutely come out with guides on how to score points sooner rather than later.

    The irony is that because the government is actively switching up the definition of what being "genuinely disabled" means and whether or not you're eligible for benefits, you are absolutely going to have actual cases of people advising people on how to "game the system" because being an honest citizen has never worked with DWP and it clearly never well. I've always said benefit cheats will game the system anyway because that's how criminals operate but you're going to find a lot of disabled people who would never commit benefit fraud normally will absolutely do so once these reforms are put in place. Because the alternative is losing 8k a year and being deemed fit for work and being thrown to the wolves.

    And the worst part of all this? That's exactly what the government will want them to do so they can reinforce these changes and any that may come later.
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      · 19 days ago
      @Anna Yes, exactly! For the record, I'm not justifying the idea of people committing actual fraud and lying on their forms. But I can appreciate how I worded that extremely badly.

      But the fact of the matter is that navigating the PIP assessment process is treacherous enough as it is. To a lot of disabled people, it feels purely designed to catch you out.

      We already know that - without even having some semblance of an idea as to what this new assessment will entail - that the new format is going to have the exact same agenda. It's just going to have some toxic positivity about "what you can do as opposed to what you can't do" mixed in. Which is only going to make the whole feeling of it being designed to catch you out even more pronounced.  

      For example, you brought up exercise and owning a dog. I feel those things could very easily be turned into "well, you do regular exercise and you have a dog - have you thought about being a dog walker or dog sitter?". Just crap like that being drawn up from completely arbitrary details that do not take away from the fact that Miss Smith - aged 57 and struggling with arthritis and depression - has symptoms related to her condition(s) that means she could not realistically turn an hour of exercise and/or walking the dog into full time work.

      But my main point is that it's going to drive more people to pull some pretty desperate things but the blame will land on those "gaming the system" all over again and we'll probably have another major revision in so many years time. Because it's easier to just blame the claimants for being lazy parasites as opposed to an incredibly badly designed quick fix assessment and its criteria model. 
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      · 19 days ago
      @Dez Well stated. Changing the goalposts on what 'genuinely disabled' is only going to muddy the waters further on who is genuine and who is supposedly "gaming the system" even further.

      I've seen people here and there advise against telling PIP assessors that you do exercise or else that can be used against you when it comes to the mobility component. Same goes for being asked if you own a dog.

      Obviously, context matters because disabled people especially need to do exercise or else we dance with a higher risk of developing conditions such as type two diabetes (especially when a lot of us cannot cook or handle nutrition properly) and doing exercise doesn't always necessarily translate into doing exercise without pain or difficulty either. 

      Does that automatically mean we're defrauding the system? Depends on you ask, naturally. People who are critical of the benefits system would absolutely say that if you can step a toe outside, you're mobile and you should have the book thrown at you.

      It also gets further complicated if you're pre-diabetic and it's been recommended by your doctor that you either lose weight or develop full blown diabetes. Because diabetes generally doesn't care if you struggle to leave your house or not. So, what is a PIP assessor to do? Tell you not to listen to a medical professional or you run the risk of committing fraud? 

      Of course, I'm not talking about people who are supposedly (for the sake of argument) lying on their PIP form about being completely wheelchair bound and using their legs perfectly fine. I'm talking in the context of 'you say you struggle with leaving the house and yet you do an hour of exercise every other day?'. Like doing something under extreme stress somehow cancels out the extreme stress. I could talk for hours about how some assessors apparently like to state that claimants are 'fine' because they showed up to a face-to-face assessment and cooperated under duress, for example.
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    · 20 days ago
    Mental health support is a joke in this country.  I once scored the maximum score on a depression checklist and was put on a 6 month waiting list to receive therapy.  Lucky me, I got to skip the queue when I was rushed to hospital after a suicide attempt.  Staff at the hospital don’t care about you or they’re just too busy and understaffed to care.  They just make you feel worse.

    Therapy, when you do manage to get it is a joke for someone like me.  I have multiple different mental health disorders and autism.  I’ve had therapy for 20 years, most of which I had to fund privately out of desperation.  None of it has helped despite persistent trying.  Apparently I’m too complicated a case due to my multiple disorders.

    NHS psychologists and psychiatrists generally know absolutely nothing about autism.  I was told by one psychiatrist… oh, we can ignore the autism because all it means is you’re good at maths.  Autism is my main problem and I’m not even good at maths.

    The mental health professionals have all given up on me so benefits was the only support left to me.  Now that is going to be taken away.  But that’s ok because changing the assessment so there is no way I can pass it will apparently magically support me to be able to cope with life and work.  Hooray!

    Will they still allow me to have free prescriptions or will they be taken away too?  The one thing keeping you alive… your medication… you’ll have to pay for it yourself now that we’ve taken away your income.  Probably the next logical step with this government.

    It’s already bad enough living with something that you can’t see, that is literally all in your head, but which devastates your life.  You already feel like you should be able to just get over it and do better in life.  You already feel like a failure.  Now I have the government reaffirming those thoughts and specifically targeting me.  However just trying harder never seems to work for me.
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      · 10 days ago
      @Anon Sounds just like my experience. Uncanny.
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      · 10 days ago
      @smalltrace Absolutely 100% correct
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      · 11 days ago
      @smalltrace I agree with this. There usually is a more serious underlying condition and yes, you do end up in hospital after a suicide attempt. There is big difference. 
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      · 11 days ago
      @Anon They've been targeting people with paranoid schizophrenia too...a chronic and severe mental illness with no cure. Apparently where psychiatrists, therapists, psychiatric hospitals and scientists have failed, Liz Kendall, Rachel Reeves, Keir Starmer and Stephen Timms have found the cure! World first! 
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      · 19 days ago
      @James I agree take the term " oh you just gave me a panic attack " when someone surprises a friend and they jumped a bit then laughed and that was the term they used to describehow they felt,it's made light that a panic attack is nothing but a seccond of unexpected upheaval and soon passed to be laughed off a seccond later,for those of us with panc disorder and prolonged attacks even shorter nasty attacks this is absolutely not the case,it's devastating, worrying and we live in fear of it, I have had 30 years of agoraphobia because of it,I've had 13 rounds of crap cbt and still no further falward and no further help offered,you go back to the gp and they sit there and say" you've had everything we have to offer and basically go away ,so you leave with no sleeping tablets, no diazepam and no help and your family are sick of it,sick of you spoiling their lives,sick because you can't go on holiday so they can't go,they can't go without you either as you can't stay by yourself, I've always had cbesa and that looks like I'm going to lose that and pip and carers,I just don't know where this heading for me as I will no be beable to financially contribute to the bills either
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 20 days ago
    Thanks for the update. 
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    · 20 days ago
    As someone who is disabled and retired, still on PIP because DWP keeps those over 65 on PIP how is it going to work for me?
    I'm 72 in four weeks. My disabilities 
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      · 18 days ago
      @Sue H It won't affect you 
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      · 18 days ago
      @Sue H If you are retired and in receipt of pip, then you will most likely never be re-assessed, unless you report a change in conditions. If the worst did happen, you can apply for Attendance Allowance instead.
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    · 20 days ago
    Thank you Benefits and Work for this update yet again it looks like a knee jerk reaction by the government to counter threats from Nigel farage and his merry band of disability denyers!  I agree we need to concentrate on protesting against the June vote and not get distracted.
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      · 19 days ago
      @Bronc Thanks well I will definitely be voting for one of them rather than labour in future!
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      · 20 days ago
      @CaroA The irony is that Professor John Curtice (elections expert for many decades) has pointed out that the biggest danger for Labour is losing its core vote to parties to the left of it such as the Greens, Lib-Dems, SNP and Independents. It is losing a much smaller portion of its voting base to Reform.
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    · 20 days ago
    On today’s news and the pain behind the silence.....

    I don't know the motive behind the fires outside Keir Starmer’s former property, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns out to be linked to the growing despair around the disability benefit system. I say that not to excuse anything—violence is never the answer—but because I’ve seen, up close, just how broken and brutal this system is.

    A close friend once spoke to me about taking drastic action in response to their treatment under DWP policies. I couldn’t tell if they were serious or not. I tried to reason with them, but in the end, the intensity of what they were expressing made it impossible to stay close, and I had to step back. That loss has haunted me.

    People are being pushed to the edge—not just financially but mentally and emotionally. When you are made to feel powerless, invisible, and gaslit by the very institutions meant to protect you, it’s no wonder some feel there’s no way to be heard.

    Alongside many others, I urge everyone in our community to stay with peaceful protest. There is power in our truth. We must keep finding ways to speak it—clearly, calmly, and persistently—because this is hopefully where we can be most effective in the longer term.

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      · 19 days ago
      @sara Thanks Sara it's definitely not an easy one to comment about but thank you for your kind feedback much appreciated.
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      · 19 days ago
      @Gingin Thanks Gingin yes possibly not the right word to use because we do need controlled passion as you say. I loved watching those MPs fighting our corner so passionately and eloquently! 
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      · 20 days ago
      @CaroA and the rest of my reply to @CaroA was

      You've got it just right, as always.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 20 days ago
      @CaroA Good for you, CaroA, putting that so well. I started several comments referencing those fires and bottled out of posting because I didn't want to set the wrong tone and thought maybe I wouldn't get past the moderators anyway.
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      · 20 days ago
      @CaroA Absolutely agree CaroA with non violence and being clear and consistent. However, many MPs opposed to these cruel proposals were not calm in the Abbot debate, and I wasn’t calm in my APPG statement or in the video interview. I’m sure you’ll agree that a bit of controlled passion (oxymoron??) is what gives a bit of life to our fight. 
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