WinVisible women at lobby of MPs, 21 May 2025

On 21 May, we joined a large number of disabled people, family carers and concerned people who came to Parliament, lobbying MPs to refuse Labour’s cuts to disability benefits. Some of us were also outside with our banners and placards, showing our determination to defend our benefit rights. Some of us took action from home, emailing MPs with our personal messages.

The lobby was organised jointly by the Coalition Against Benefit Cuts, Disability Rights UK, Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) and others. People from all over the UK, including from Black Triangle Scotland and DPAC North of Ireland, arrived at different times during the afternoon.

We met up with our sister Sue Elsegood from Greenwich, who was recently interviewed by Channel 4 News against the Assisted Dying Bill. Watch here (trigger warning). Sue’s testimony was part of our statement to the COVID-19 UK Inquiry.

Around 40 MPs of several parties came to talk to their constituents (read Disability News Service report here.) Some prominent Labour MPs ignored or declined our requests to see them. But at least Rachel Blake MP (above right in photo) did come and listen to Tracey Norton (Disabled Mothers’ Rights Campaign) (middle) and Lisa Lynch (left), who are both Westminster residents.

We talked with Richard Burgon and Chris Hinchliff, MP for North East Hertfordshire, who pledge to vote against cuts to disability benefits. Richard Burgon recently addressed a meeting of Camden Disability Action, which local MP Keir Starmer had declined to attend. There, people spoke about discrimination in waged work, the brutality of the benefit system — and WinVisible spoke about more disabled mothers having children taken, because of combined discrimination and poverty — seen as neglect of our children.

We also spoke with Sian Berry, who is leading the Green Party opposition to these disability benefit cuts. The government Bill expected soon is likely to include measures to cut PIP as well as the disability addition to Universal Credit and threatens the “Substantial risk to health” protection for claimants.

Read our briefing info here on the impact of PIP and Universal Credit cuts particularly on disabled women, disabled mothers and children, which we gave out to MPs and others taking part on the day.

We will be making a complaint to Parliament because some disabled people were made to queue outside in the pouring rain, while groups of schoolchildren were ushered into Westminster Hall.