The proposed changes put out for consultation on the Personal Independence Payment will push further into poverty those at the sharp end of our punitive ‘welfare’ system.

The proposal to replace cash with grants or vouchers will add to the stress, anxiety and stigma already attached to claiming benefits, and discourage many from accessing the support they need.

For 14 years, the Tories have chosen to obliterate and dismantle our collective social safety net. Children, single parents, the sick and the disabled have, as a result of the cumulative policies, been forced into poverty.

We know many disabled people are denied or worse still, punished when claiming the help to which they are entitled.

Rather than demonising them, our social security system should be rebuilt into one that supports disabled people to thrive and not just survive.

Because how else do we build a ‘good society’?

How we treat each other, especially those with the least ability to look after themselves, is an indication of the kind of society we are as well as the one we wish to build.

Those with disabilities have much to give that isn’t simply about economic productivity in the strictest sense. Whether the arts, culture, sports or anything else, we should support them to have fulfilling lives, not just eking out an increasingly harsh and difficult existence.

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