March 14, 2016 1.12 pm This story is over 96 months old

Lincoln MP faces pressure after voting to cut disability benefits

A socialist group has demanded Lincoln MP Karl McCartney explains his reasons for supporting a cut to disability benefits. The House of Commons forced through £30 a week cuts to certain claimants of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) at the third time of asking. Peers in the House of Lords had twice blocked the proposals but ministers…
Karl McCartney Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

A socialist group has demanded Lincoln MP Karl McCartney explains his reasons for supporting a cut to disability benefits.

The House of Commons forced through £30 a week cuts to certain claimants of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) at the third time of asking.

Peers in the House of Lords had twice blocked the proposals but ministers claimed a special privilege to assert the Commons’ right to have the final say on financial matters.

The cuts in weekly support from £103 to £73 apply to those on ESA in the work-related activity group who are assessed and found unfit for work.

Now, the Lincoln branch of the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) has called for McCartney to explain his decision to vote for the changes, claiming that he has “betrayed thousands of his constituents.”

A spokesperson for the party said: “This cut will not make it any easier for disabled people to find supportive employment.

“In fact, it will make it even harder as it forces people to struggle on a severely reduced income with the extra costs of living with a serious health condition.

“By voting for an attack of this magnitude on the future living standards of some of the most vulnerable people in our society, Karl McCartney has betrayed thousands of his constituents who suffer with complex health conditions.

“It seems like the MP for Lincoln wants to make sick and disabled people pay for an economic crisis caused by the bankers.”

Karl McCartney was invited to comment by The Lincolnite, but declined to offer a statement.