York Central MP Rachael Maskell has shared major concerns following the Chancellor’s Spring Statement released earlier today (26 March).
Ms. Maskell believes the additional welfare cuts announced will have a devastating impact on the city’s most vulnerable residents and has reiterated her calls for a wealth tax on the super-rich.
She told YorkMix: “I want people to be assured that they have an MP who will fight for them.”
Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a series of public spending cuts during her speech in the House of Commons, which included a £4.8 billion reduction in welfare spending. This is slightly below the £5 billion initially predicted by ministers.
The York Labour MP expressed her “deep concern” about the effects these cuts will have on the most vulnerable members of our communities.
She said it was “deeply troubling, while right to support people into work, that those who are struggling are expected to have their lifeline cut, whether the health element of universal credit or Personal Independence Payments, designed to give support to people both in and out of work.
“Hearing that cuts could go even deeper than anticipated is completely unacceptable. The devastating impact of people losing essential income will fall on disabled people. I will not accept or vote for measures that will put people at risk or push deeper into poverty.”
She told YorkMix: “We’ve seen from the impact assessment that about a quarter of a million people will lose money, and we’ve also heard that about 50,000 children will be facing poverty as a result of these measures.
She emphasised that she refuses to support measures that could place people deeper into poverty, stating, “This is not what we should be doing as a government.”
‘Deeply distressed’
Ms Maskell is particularly worried about individuals already experiencing significant poverty and the potential mental health impacts these cuts could have, given the lack of support services.
“I want to protect people. That’s partly how I feel about my constituents in York. I want to wrap my arms around the city and make sure people are safe, and therefore placing people at greater risk is not what I’m prepared to support.”
Ms. Maskell told YorkMix that she’s already hearing from constituents across the city who are “deeply distressed” by the welfare cuts.
“People can’t work because of their mental health challenges, perhaps some people are on the autism spectrum, and those physically impaired, and what they expect is the state to reach out and support them.
“Of course, they have said that we will support the most disadvantaged, the people with the greatest level of need, but it’s the people which fit in that band, but just won’t reach those thresholds I really am concerned about.”
Ms. Maskell stated that she fully supports the government’s efforts to help people return to work and praised the York JobCentre for the assistance it provides, but believes more can be done.
“I truly believe that if people can’t work, that the state should be providing that Social Security part of the 1945 welfare state that was set up, helping people through that process, recognising that many people can’t work.
“We’ve got to address some of the causes as to why people aren’t in work, but also for people to know that they have got security and safety is really important,” she added.
Introducing a wealth tax
Ms Maskell said: “The super-rich should be paying their way through a wealth tax.
“As little as a 2% tax on wealth over £10 million would raise £24 billion every year. Money that will go to our NHS, our social care services, our buses and our schools.
“According to Oxfam and Tax Justice Now, 78% of people support a wealth tax, 77% support increased taxes on the richest to improve public services.”
Ms. Maskell told YorkMix: “We know that the public support this really positive step in order to raise revenue, protect the poorest, and take forward investment in our public service.”
She envisions that the funds raised from a wealth tax would be used to protect the NHS, social care services, public transportation, and schools.
“So we invest to save, but it also means that we distribute the significant inequality in wealth in our country,” she added.
For a full overview on the Spring statement, check out our previous article.