As the UK government prepares to slash disability benefits, a growing number of Labour MPs are pushing for an alternative solution: a wealth tax on the super-rich. The pressure is on, and the stakes are high.
🔥 Rising Tensions Over Disability Cuts
The government’s proposed £5 billion cuts to disability benefits have sparked outrage across the political spectrum. With tighter tests for Personal Independent Payments (PIP) and cuts to incapacity benefits, many MPs fear the most vulnerable will bear the brunt of these cuts.
Now, a group of Labour MPs are demanding a 2% wealth tax on assets over £10 million. This, they argue, would raise up to £24 billion a year – enough to reverse the disability benefit cuts and protect those in need.
💥 A Growing Rebellion Within Labour
Richard Burgon, Labour MP for Leeds East, highlighted the growing unease within the party. “When MPs go back to their constituencies, they hear first-hand from constituents who are terrified about these cuts,” he said. Burgon warned that this could lead to “the mother of all rebellions” if the government presses ahead with the proposals.
The anger isn’t just from the left wing of the party. Many MPs across the Labour spectrum are uncomfortable with the cuts. “This is not the Labour thing to do,” Burgon added. “We didn’t get into politics to make people’s lives harder.”
🧨 Labour MPs Slam Cuts, Call for Wealth Tax
The proposed cuts would push over 250,000 people into poverty, with 50,000 of them being children. Lee Barron, Labour MP for Corby, said, “We can’t cut the benefits of people who can’t work. These figures just can’t be supported.”
Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald echoed this sentiment, stressing that he would not support measures that would harm his constituents.
Meanwhile, Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Manchester, has also weighed in, calling for a tax on the super-rich. Burnham suggested that Britain’s wealth gap has grown too large and that taxing the wealthy would help balance things out.
✍️ A Call for Action: Burgon’s Petition for a Wealth Tax
In response to these cuts, Richard Burgon launched a petition for a wealth tax, which has already gathered over 50,000 signatures. The petition argues that the government should stop targeting the poorest and instead ask the wealthiest to contribute their fair share.
“We need to fix the deep problems caused by years of cuts,” the petition reads. “A wealth tax on the super-rich is the answer.”
🏛️ What Happens Next?
With a looming vote on the cuts, Labour MPs are gearing up for a battle. Starmer’s government faces increasing pressure from within his own ranks. The question remains: will Starmer reconsider, or will the rebellion continue to grow?
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