Hackney MP, Diane Abbott, has accused Sir Keir Starmer of silencing MPs’ voices after she was excluded from a meeting at parliament regarding welfare budget cuts on 11 March because “the meeting was full”.
The government is proposing plans to cut spending on long-term sickness and disability benefits for working-age people, which has risen from £36bn prior to the pandemic to £48bn last year. It is forecasted to increase to approximately £63bn in the next five years.
Abbott is a vocal critic of Labour’s proposed plans to slash welfare spending. She said: “So dishonest for ministers to claim they are slashing disability benefits in order to do the disabled a favour,” in a post on X.
“Unfortunately, I and other colleagues were told the meeting was full. keen on dissent in other countries. not so much here.”
“I would have liked to query Keir Starmer at last night’s meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party about the impact of his proposed cuts to welfare. Unfortunately, I and other colleagues were told the meeting was full. Keen on dissent in other countries. Not so much here,” said Abbott in another post on X.
According to the ONS, as of January 2025, 7.4 per cent of Hackney residents over the age of 16 are on out-of-work benefits, compared to the national average of 4.1 per cent. The latest figures, as of 2021, show that 5 per cent of Hackney residents were economically inactive due to long-term sickness or disability.
Proposed cuts will likely include restrictions on eligibility for the Personal Independence Payment, which is crucial for those with long-term physical or mental health conditions through providing help with extra living costs – of which many people from Hackney rely on.
The large and increasing welfare bill is under significant pressure due to the financial constraints with cuts to the budget due to be announced by the chancellor Rachel Reeves in the spring statement on 26 March.
In the meeting from which Abbott was excluded, Starmer told Labour MPs that the current welfare bill was “unsustainable” and that “it’s indefensible and it is unfair”.
Abbott, the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, is part of a group of Labour MPs planning to rebel against the proposed welfare cuts. Plans will be outlined today at Downing Street where all 404 Labour MPs have been summoned for a “welfare roundtable”.
Labour backbencher Nadia Whittome, MP for Nottingham East, said to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that she “couldn’t look her mum in the eyes” if she supported Starmer’s cuts to benefits.
In response to Abbott’s absence from the meeting, resident of Clissold Park, Laura B., said: “It’s not ideal; everyone should be represented, and I think transparency is key.”
But Andrew, resident of Green Lanes, Stoke Newington, said: “We don’t know much about the budget cuts, and we don’t even know if they are going ahead with it.
“And I don’t think she’s sure what she was advocating for.”
“The proposed cuts to disability and sickness benefits would be catastrophic.”
Liam Davis, Green councillor for Stoke Newington, said: “The proposed cuts to disability and sickness benefits would be catastrophic.”
“It is shocking that these proposals have been put forward without a proper impact assessment. The government’s failure to assess the consequences of these cuts is a dereliction of duty, showing a disregard for the lives and dignity of disabled people and those unable to work.
“The Labour Party promised an end to austerity, yet these cuts mirror the very policies they would leave behind.”
Hackney Council declined to comment until after the spring statement.
Isabella is a news reporter at Hackney Post, with a special interest in social affairs and lifestyle content. She has been published in several titles, including The Independent, Daily Mirror, The i (Paper) and Food and Travel magazine. She is constantly looking for news and new angles, please don't hesitate to get in contact.
Remigius Kim - Reporter for Hackney Central - Former News Reporter for Torstar Corporation, The Palatinate and The Borgen Project.