Leishman: 'More austerity to fix austerity makes no sense'

The Herald Scotland

9 hours ago

Speaking to Unspun Live, The Herald's politics podcast, the Alloa and Grangemouth MP said: 'This is a welfare reform that will be critically important for people. It could be lethal.
"We've seen what austerity did for 14 years. It was the cause of hundreds of excess deaths. More austerity to combat initial austerity makes no sense.'
His intervention came as Health Secretary Wes Streeting insisted the revised plans had 'put us in a much better position' and would give 'peace of mind' to existing claimants.
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The Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Bill faced almost certain defeat in the Commons on Tuesday, after 126 Labour MPs backed an amendment that would have effectively derailed the flagship reforms.
The legislation aims to restrict eligibility for PIP in England and limit sickness-related payments under Universal Credit, as part of a package aimed at saving up to £5 billion a year.
PIP has mostly been devolved to the Scottish Government, which began replacing it with Adult Disability Payment (ADP) in 2022. The SNP administration has ruled out replicating the changes. However, any change in PIP spending will have an impact on the block grant.
Last-ditch talks with rebels saw No 10 promise to apply the reforms only to new claimants from November 2026.
Current Universal Credit recipients will also have their incomes protected in real terms.
A review of the PIP assessment process will be led by Disabilities Minister Sir Stephen Timms and 'co-produced' with disabled people.
The tweaks are expected to cost around £1.5 billion. While the vote may still be close, the Prime Minister is now expected to win.
Mr Leishman said that despite the changes, he would not vote for the bill.
He told The Herald he believed the legislation was being 'rushed through' and was 'certainly not going to be fit for purpose'.
Asked what changes he would like to see, the MP said Labour should start again and 'engage with the organisations and charities, people that work on the front line, and see exactly what life is like for disabled people, for some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in our society'.
The Prime Minister admitted this weekend that he had not fully focused on the scale of the rebellion until late last week, saying international commitments had taken priority.
He told the Sunday Times: 'Getting it right is more important than ploughing on with a package which doesn't necessarily achieve the desired outcome... I take responsibility for all the decisions made by this Government.'
But Mr Leishman said there was a broader failure of political listening.
'I think it's fair to say there's a whole multitude, a whole raft of issues that the leadership haven't been listening nearly enough to—certainly not to backbench MPs, but also, as well, to the grassroots Labour membership.'
'When I went to Scottish Labour conference in February, and when I went to the STUC Congress in Dundee only a couple of months ago, the rank-and-file Labour Party membership and the trade union movement were not happy,' he added. 'They're not content with what we've done in our first year in government. We must do better.'
The MP has become a prominent voice among Labour's Scottish left. He said his loyalty was to his constituents, the Labour Party and the wider movement.
'If every MP just relied on the lines from the party and never deviated, that breeds disenchantment and disenfranchisement with politicians,' he said. 'Say what you mean, and mean what you say. That's what I'm trying to do with my time in Parliament.'
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Mr Leishman, who has called for a 2% annual wealth tax on multimillionaires, said the leadership needed to offer a clearer vision.
'We have got to present a change that the country needs, and that means a redistribution of wealth, power and opportunity for the benefit of the many in society.
'That's what we've got to do and if we do that—forget the SNP, forget Reform, forget the Tories, forget all of them. Because if we as a Government actually improve people's living standards and give them better public services, give them more money, give them reduced bills, actually allow them to participate in society... it's great for the economy, and we've improved people's living standards—and we'll get a second term.
"It's very simple, in my opinion.'
Speaking ahead of tomorrow's vote, the SNP Westminster Leader Stephen Flynn said the last minute deal was "rapidly unravelling as the details emerge."
"It is becoming clear that it was a deal designed to save the skin of the Prime Minister, but a deal that will end up punishing those who are young or newly disabled."
He said Anas Sarwar should instruct his MPs to "stand firm against this two-tier disability system."