The CEO of Hackney Foodbank has said she shares Diane Abbott’s “despair” at the government’s plans to change welfare payments for disabled people.
The government recently announced it would be tightening the eligibility criteria for Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Under new criteria that will come into force from November 2026, the threshold to receive PIP will increase, meaning some people might be unable to claim it, or have their payments reduced.
Diane Abbott, MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, condemned the plans on Radio 4’s Today programme on Monday. She said: “Cutting the money for disabled people is not a Labour thing to do.”
“around 77% of people claiming Universal Credit and disability benefits have gone without the essentials in the past six months”
Later that morning, Pat Fitzsimons, CEO of Hackney Foodbank, added her voice to the protests, writing to the MP “to highlight the devastating impact” of the reforms on foodbank users.
Fitzsimons told the Hackney Post: “Our food bank is currently supporting more than 750 people a week and most of our visitors (around 68%) have a long-term physical or mental health condition – for many it impacts their ability to carry out day-to-day activities.
“We know that around 77% of people claiming Universal Credit and disability benefits have gone without the essentials in the past six months – that’s even before the eligibility criteria is tightened,” she continued.
Fitzsimons predicted that this change would “hit the poorest hardest and will push more people into crisis. Life costs more if you’re disabled – the disabled are three times more likely to face hunger”.
In Hackney, 40 per cent of disabled residents are unemployed, with 20 per cent of households with at least one disabled person living in poverty, according to data from Healthwatch Hackney.
Abbott further criticised the government’s actions in The Standard, writing: “The cuts to PIP that have been confirmed will mean about 620,000 people lose £675 a month. Which is a lot of money if you are on benefits… the only certain way it saves the billions that ministers want is by making benefit claimants live on less.”
Flora Symington is the beat reporter for Dalston. She is interested in community-focussed stories with people at their heart, and wants to hear from anyone and everyone in this vibrant area. Before moving to London Flora wrote for the Basingstoke Gazette, Cherwell and Trill Mag, as well as presenting and producing podcasts about media and the arts.