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Demonstration held against welfare cut plans

Miles Davis
BBC Devon political reporter
Reporting fromExeter
BBC Protesters against welfare cuts at a demonstration in Bedford Square in ExeterBBC
Protesters against welfare cuts in Exeter

Protesters have come out on to the street in Exeter to show their opposition to the government's plans to cut welfare benefits.

A group of people gathered in Bedford Square in the city centre to voice their concern and said the planned cuts would have a devastating impact on people's lives.

A vote on the planned cuts is due to be held by MPs in Westminster at about 19:00 BST.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is braced for a rebellion despite making significant concessions to discontented Labour MPs.

Kat Smith, standing in a street in Exeter city centre. She has a black hat and has long hair with blonde highlights. She is wearing a black top and also has a pair of black headphones around her neck.
Kat Smith said the proposals were "not acceptable from our government"

Protester Kat Smith said: "These Pip cuts will plunge people into poverty, they will decimate the quality of life of disbaled people, they will end up killing disabled people.

"That is something we will fight at every single hurdle.

"That is not acceptable from our government."

Almost 6,000 people in the Exeter constituency - just under 7% of working age adults - are claiming the personal independence payment (Pip).

Psychiatric disorders are given as the reason for nearly half of those claims, according to the latest government figures.

More people are claiming benefits for mental health conditions according to research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies, which found 69% of new 25-year-old claimants were primarily living with mental and behavioural disorders compared to only 22% of new 55-year-old claimants.

Getty Images An aerial view of Exeter showing Cathedral Green in the foreground and surrounding buildings.Getty Images
Almost 6,000 people in the Exeter constituency are claiming personal independence payments according to government figures

Ministers were forced to offer concessions after more than 120 Labour MPs threatened to back a so-called reasoned amendment to block the legislation required to deliver the plans.

That amendment has now been withdrawn, but a fresh bid to stop the draft law in its tracks has been signed by 39 Labour MPs.

Under the concessions made by the government, Pip claimants will continue to receive what they currently get, as will recipients of the health element of Universal Credit, with the planned cuts only affecting future claimants.

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall told Parliament the reforms would fix "the broken benefits system" and put it on a sustainable footing.

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