Welfare cuts are 'unacceptable' and 'devastating', say Labour MPs

Labour MPs have accused the chancellor of making "devastating" and "unacceptable" welfare cuts after the government's own analysis showed they would leave more than 3m households worse off and push 250,000 people into poverty.

- Kiran Stacey, Patrick Butler, Aletha Adu

Backbench MPs hit back after the government published its impact assessment of the benefit cuts, which were announced in full yesterday as part of Rachel Reeves's spring statement. The analysis shows 3.2 million households will each lose an average of £1,720 a year. The cuts will be felt most keenly by those eligible for personal independence payments (Pip), 800,000 of whom will lose £4,500 a year on average.

Debbie Abrahams, the Labour chair of the work and pensions select committee, told the Commons: "All the evidence points to the fact that the cuts to health and disability benefits will lead to increased poverty, including severe poverty, and worsened health conditions. How will making people sicker and poorer help to drive our economy up and get people into jobs?"